We're In This Together
by lionxolambxo17
Summary: Edward and Bella are both single parents of 6-year-old boys. When Bella moves to Jacksonville for a new start, her and Edward become close, as well as their kids. However, when her dark past comes back to haunt her, will Bella be able to protect herself, and her son? Will she allow herself to trust Edward? EXB, EXR, JXA, All human. M for lemons in late chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys!

So.. this is my first story and I really really hope you guys like it. I'm nervous but I will try my best to keep you guys entertained! Haha. so.. here we go! Reviews are more than welcome. ;)

Summary: Edward and Bella are both single parents of 6-year-old boys. When Bella moves to Jacksonville for a new start, her and Edward become close, as well as their kids. However, when her dark past comes back to haunt her, will Bella be able to protect herself, and her son? Will she allow herself to trust Edward? EXB, EXR, JXA, All human.

Disclaimer: As much as it pains me to say, I do not own Twilight. :(

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BPOV:

"Ben, lunch time!" I yelled throughout the house to my son. I placed the peanut butter and jelly sandwich with goldfish on the side onto a paper plate, and poured him a glass of chocolate milk. He bounded into the kitchen as I placed his meal onto the table.

"Thanks, Mommy," he smiled at me before digging into his meal. I ruffled his dark hair and took a seat next to him, taking a bite of my own sandwich.

"Mom, will you play outside with me after lunch? It's a nice day," my son pleaded. I smiled at him, he was such a well-behaved kid. People said that six-year-old's were not exactly pleasant, but my son usually did not give me a hard time, he was very well-behaved.

"Sure, honey. But we need to put sunscreen on, the sun is much brighter here then back at Grandpa's," I informed him. He nodded his head in understanding and took a bite of his sandwich.

We finished the rest of our meal in a comfortable silence, with the radio in our kitchen playing soft music in the background. Moments like this were perfect to me, when it was just me and my son, with nothing to worry about.

After lunch, Ben ran upstairs into his room and got his shoes on while I fished the sunscreen out of one of the drawers in the kitchen. I applied a light amount onto my own skin, and called Ben over when he reappeared into the kitchen.

"Mom, you're putting a lot on!" He giggled as I made sure to apply sunscreen to every inch of his showing skin, and even putting a second coat of it on. I guess you could say I was overprotective when it came to things like this, but I had my reasons.

"You can never be too safe, honey," I said and poked his nose lightly. He laughed in response and then he was off, running into the garage, most likely looking for some kind of sports equipment to play with outside. I chuckled at his enthusiasm and followed him, watching as he pulled out a plastic bat and a plastic ball from the toy chest.

"Baseball it is," I smiled at him and helped him carry the equipment into the backyard. It was a beautiful day, of course. Always so sunny and hot in Jacksonville, but I liked it that way. Ben got to bat first, of course, and I told him he was mean for never letting me get the first chance to bat.

"Mom, if you got to bat first, we would be out here for hours!" He teased me as he found a spot in the middle of the yard to claim as home plate, standing there with the bat held behind his head, ready to whack the ball. He definitely got his sarcasm and wit from me.

"Well, if you're gonna be mean, then I'm not gonna pitch it," I teased him back, taking a spot a good ways away from him, watching as he stared at the ball, waiting for me to throw it.

"Mom, I was kidding! You're the best baseball player there is," Ben said in his cute voice, smiling adorably at me and making his blue eyes huge. Damn him, I couldn't resist giving him anything when he did that. I sighed under my breath and threw the ball to him, watching as he whacked it with full force, the ball gliding quickly to the other end of the yard. Ben whooped and cheered, doing a victory dance. I laughed and walked to get the ball.

"I'm the next Derek Jeter!" I heard him cheering. Instead of going back to the imaginary pitcher's mound, I took the bat right out of his hands and placed the balll into them.

"My turn to bat, you just a hit a homer," I stated and took my stance, bending my knees and holding the bat behind my head. Ben ran happily to the pitcher's mound, clearly proud of himself.

"Okay, Mom. You only get three chances to hit it, so make them count," he called to me. I rolled my eyes at his attempt at teasing and waited for him to throw the ball.

He threw it lightly, and I tried my best to hit it as hard as he could, but failed miserable and completely missed the ball. I grumbled and picked the ball up, listening to Ben laugh as I threw the ball back to him, thinking to myself about the fact that my six-year-old son is better at baseball than me.

"Here comes the next pitch!" He yelled and threw the ball again, but this time I made sure to hit it. However, it went completely left into the neighbor's yard. Ben laughed again but ran over to get it. But instead, a little boy walked over to us with the ball in his hands.

"Is this yours?" He asked in a small voice, holding the ball out to us. I walked over to him and took the ball from his hands, smiling warmly at him.

"Yes, thank you. I'm sorry for hitting it into your yard," I said to him.

"That's okay, I love baseball!" He gushed, and Ben gave him a high-five. This little boy had to be around Ben's age.

"Why don't you play with us?" Ben asked him, handing him the bat. The boy's eyes lit up and he all but sprinted over into our yard.

"Wait!" I called out, "shouldn't you tell your Mom or Dad that you're over here?"

"My Dad was just outside with me, he's coming back out and he'll see me over here." The boy brushed it off like it was no big deal, but I was still worried. I didn't want this boy's father to come outside and see him in my yard like I abducted him or something.

I was assigned to a new position: outfielder. Of course Ben gave me the most tiring job, I was so going to get him for that. I stood in the back of the yard, waiting for the boy to hit it out to me.

"Anthony?!" I heard a man's voice call smoothly from the house next door, interrupting Ben's pitch. We all looked over and I saw the most beautiful man with bronze-colored hair and piercing green eyes, and I noticed that his son looked exactly like him.

"Over here, Daddy!" Anthony yelled back, and then swung the bat after Ben threw the ball. The ball rolled right to me, and I picked it up and then walked over to the man, explaining the situation.

"Sorry, I hit the ball into your yard and your son came and gave it back to us. My son asked him to play and he was all for it," I explained to this handsome man, not being able to look away from his eyes, they were amazing, almost hypnotizing.

"That's okay, I don't mind when people take my kid out of my yard," he teased and gave me a crooked smile that almost had me fainting.

"I'm not a kidnapper, but good try," I said sarcastically and rolled my eyes, causing him to chuckle. "Okay, Anthony, why don't you come back over here? You can't just go where you please without asking if it's okay with them and me."

"It's fine if he wants to stay over in my yard and play with my son. Ben gets lonely sometimes, it would be nice to let him play with someone his age for a little bit today," I offered, watching as Ben and Anthony chased each other around the yard, squealing happily. I looked at Anthony's Dad and saw that he was smiling at our kids.

"Tell you what, I'm getting pretty bored, myself. Why don't I come over and play, too?" He asked lightly, dazzling me with that smile again. I was so distracted by his good looks that I couldn't find my voice, so I just nodded. We made our way to my back patio that overlooked my yard, sitting down in the deck chairs.

As I sat, I just realized that I had invited a strange man and his son into my yard and I did not even know his name.

"I'm Bella, Bella Swan," I introduced myself and offered him my hand. He smiled and shook it graciously.

"Edward Cullen. So, you just moved in a few weeks ago, right?"

"Yeah, about two weeks ago," I answered as we both kept an eye on the kids, watching them run around happily, without a care in the world.

"Where are you from?" He asked, this time taking his eyes off our kids and looking at me. I kept my eyes on Ben and Anthony, though, knowing that I would lose my train of thought if I looked into Edward's eyes.

"I was actually born here in Jacksonville, on the other side of town. But my Dad and I moved to a small town in Washington when I was younger, and I lived there up until we moved here. I wanted to come back here the day I moved away, I love it. So once Ben finished the school year, I came back," I informed him, surprised at myself. I usually built a wall around myself, not letting anyone in. But I found myself sharing information with someone that I'd just met five minutes ago. That wasn't like me, but I felt comfortable with Edward, like all of this was natural.

"Ah, I see. Well, welcome to the neighborhood! It's cool having another young parent here. Some of the people living in this development are around our age and they also have young kids. We're all actually really close, you should come hangout with us sometime," he offered, and this time I looked at him, his velvety voice pulling my attention towards him. He was smiling warmly at me, so I smiled back.

"That would be nice."

"Great! Next weekend is Memorial Day, and we're having a barbeque at one of the houses down the street on Saturday, you and Ben should come. There will be plenty of kids for him to play with, and you could meet all the neighbors," he said and I looked back at Ben and watched as him and Anthony played another game of baseball. I smiled at the thought of Ben having a bunch of friends to run around with, he would love that. I know he gets lonely. I also would love to have some friends that I could hangout with around here. Ben wasn't the only one that got lonely.

"Sure, sounds like fun," I said and smiled to myself. I was glad that I had found friends for Ben and I already, I knew he would be happy to play with the kids in the neighborhood. Summer was coming and I wanted him to have people to spend time with that were his own age. He's spent his life so far playing with me and my Dad, so this barbeque would be good for him.

"Okay, I'll let you know the details when I hear of them," Edward said.

* * *

The boys played outside for a few hours, while Edward and I sat on the porch, getting to know each other. I found out that he was a single parent, and I told him that I was, too. However, neither of us prodded for more information from one another, so nothing else was said on that topic.

Edward told me that he owned his own construction company, sharing that he builds home and apartment complexes. The name of his company was EAC Homes, which stood for "Edward Anthony Cullen Homes."

"That's sweet that you added Anthony's name in the title of your company," I praised him. He chuckled and informed me that the "Anthony" part of the title wasn't only because of his son, but it was also Edward's middle name.

I told him that I was a second-grade teacher back in Washington and I was planning on pursuing the same career here when the school year started up again. He gave me a funny look when I shared this information with him, probably wondering how I could afford this huge house on a career like that with no other source of income in the family. But I had plenty of money and I did not need to share that story with him.

Around 4:30, though, we decided to call it a day, as Edward had to go.

"Anthony, time to go home now, bud. We have to meet Grandma and Grandpa at the diner in half an hour," Edward called out to his son. Anthony and Ben both groaned in dissatisfaction and dragged their way over to us, not ready to end their fun quite yet.

"Can me and Ben play again tomorrow?" Anthony asked his Dad, tugging on his shirt impatiently.

"Son, tomorrow is Monday and I have to go to work. Grandma is going to watch you tomorrow."

Ben and Anthony both put their heads down in disappointment, and it broke my heart to see how upset they both were. They had so much fun today and I didn't want it to be put to an end.

"Anthony is welcome over here tomorrow, I'll be here all day," I offered, watching as Ben and Anthony's faces lit up and they jumped up and down in excitement. Edward smiled at them.

"Are you sure, Bella?" He asked, uncertain. I told him it was no big deal and I would be glad to have him over.

"Okay, thank you so much. It's supposed to be quite hot tomorrow, so you can take the boys over to my house and use our pool if you want to. Just make sure Anthony uses his floaties, he can't quite swim on his own yet." Edward informed me. I nodded in response.

Edward and I exchanged numbers, and he promised me he would call me in the morning before he brought Anthony over. We said our goodbyes and I brought Ben in the house, turning the TV on for him as I made us a dinner of spaghetti. He shared his whole day with me in detail as we ate, saying how much he liked Anthony. I smiled at the fact that my son had a new friend, and I told Ben that him and Anthony could play all the time. Ben smiled brightly.

After dinner, Ben went back into the living room to watch TV and I did dishes. I was just about finished when I received a text message. I grabbed my phone off the counter and looked at the name: Edward Cullen.

_Oh, I almost forgot. When Anthony is over tomorrow, don't let a random person take him out of your yard. _

I rolled my eyes at his sarcasm and typed my reply.

_Smartass._

There's chapter one! I hope you guys like it.

Reviews make me motivated to write more, so let me know if you guys have any comments or suggestions, anything is welcome!

Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

Helloooo!

I hope you guys that are reading enjoyed chapter one. I don't think I'm exactly popular on this sight so if you guys could read and review my story and help me get it out there, I will appreciate it so much and I'll even take a look at your stories! Thanks guys, you're the best!

Thanks for everyone who is keeping tabs on this story, I hope you like this chapter as much as the last!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Twilight. WHATEVER.

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BPOV:

_I woke up and realized that I was trapped, and that was certain. The room was completely dark, but I knew where I was. I felt around, scraping my hand lightly against a wall with my left hand. I curled myself up into a ball and let the tears flow, welcoming them to drop swiftly down my damp cheeks. I knew this was the end, I embraced it. Nothing good was going to come out of this, my life was over._

_Suddenly, a door opened and I saw him standing there with a menacingly evil smile planted on his face. I shivered in fear as I looked at him and watched when he slowly walked closer and closer to me._

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

I shot straight up out of bed when my alarm clock woke me up from that terrible nightmare. After looking around and realizing I was safe in my bedroom, I sighed in relief and sat back against the headboard, rubbing my hand along my face in an attempt to clean the sweat from my body. I looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table that read 7:30. I pressed snooze and got out of bed, slipping my feet into my slippers.

I walked quietly down the hall and opened Ben's room. He was sitting on the floor with his pajamas still on, playing with his train set. I smiled at the sight in front of me and entered his bedroom, sitting Indian-style next to him and placing a kiss on his cheek.

"Good morning, Momma," he chirped but kept his eyes on the train, completely focused.

"Morning, honey. How long have you been up?" I asked curiously, for some reason I felt like a bad mother when my son was awake before me. I felt I always needed to be there for him.

"A couple minutes, I was just waiting for you to come in. I'm kinda hungry."

"Oh, so that's all I'm good for?" I teased and ruffled his hair. He set down his remote that controlled the train and jumped with much force into my arms, giving me a giant hug. I wrapped my arms around him and placed my cheek on top of his head, savoring the moment. I could never get enough of this.

"No, you're the best Mommy in the whole world and I love you, not only because you make me food," he giggled as he let me go, putting his slippers on as well. I rolled my eyes teasingly and got up, Ben pulling my hand and leading me downstairs into the kitchen impatiently. He sat straight up in the chair with his hands folded on top of the table, he did this whenever he was starving. I chuckled at him and asked what he wanted to eat.

"Can I have a waffle?"

"Of course. What do you want on it? Butter and syrup? Peanut Butter? Nutella?" I asked as I rummaged through the refrigerator and the cabinets, shouting out whatever I saw.

"I like my waffles plain, Mom," he called in a "duh" voice, like it was obvious. I looked at him and saw that he was smirking at me. I huffed under my breath, he could be such the smartass sometimes.

"Since when? That's weird!" I mocked but placed a waffle in the toaster anyway. He rolled his eyes sarcastically like I always do.

"Anthony said he likes plain waffles so I want to try them too," he stated. I nodded my head in understanding and placed the waffle on a plate when it was ready. I poured some orange juice into a cup and slid everything in front of him. He dug in instantly, moaning at the taste. I laughed and fixed myself a bagel with cream cheese, sitting down next to him.

"You like Anthony, don't you?" I asked as I took a bite of the bagel. Ben waited until he swallowed his food before answering.

"Yeah, he's so funny! And we like all the same things. He likes trains and baseball and Spongebob and superheroes, just like me!" He enthused happily and took a giant gulp of his water, that last sentence probably causing his breath to go short.

"I'm glad you found yourself a good friend," I told him honestly and smiled, thinking about how well Ben and Anthony got along and how great their friendship already was after only spending a few hours together. Ben didn't have many close friends back in Forks, Washington, where we lived with my Dad before I was able to get on my own two feet. Ben went to preschool and kindergarten there, but none of the kids there were particularly interested in the things he was, which I found strange. I decided to move back to Jacksonville, where I was born, once his kindergarten year was over. We both needed a fresh start.

"When is Anthony getting here?" Ben asked impatiently, shaking me out of my thoughts as he pushed his empty plate across the table to me.

"In about an hour, Ben. Don't be so impatient," I said as I cleared the table and rinsed off the dishes. When I was finished, I took Ben upstairs with me and got him dressed in shorts and a t-shirt.

"Okay, I need to go shower. Can you wait here in your room and play with your toys while I'm gone?" I kneeled down so my eyes were aligned with his, and he nodded. I kissed his cheek and left the room, closing the door behind me. I drifted into my room and checked my iPhone to see if Edward had called or texted me, but he hasn't yet. I figured it was too early for him to do either of those, so I shrugged the worry away. I checked the weather app and saw that it was supposed to be 85 degrees today, but the humidity was going to make it feel much warmer. I decided it would be best to dress lightly, so I pulled out a pair of denim shorts and a pink tank top from my dresser. I may take Edward up on that offer of using his pool.

I grabbed a towel and wash rag from the closet and placed them on the vanity in the bathroom. I was just about to undress when I heard my phone ring. I groaned under my breath and read the text message from Edward.

_I'll be at your front door at exactly 9:00. Be there or be square._

I chuckled at his attempt at being funny, and I typed back a reply.

_Okay, weirdo._

I placed my phone back on my bed and went into the shower, making sure the water was refreshing and relaxing on my muscles. My mind, for a reason that I couldn't comprehend, drifted to Edward. I found myself feeling very comfortable with him, which was not usual for me. It just felt natural to tease him, which was odd because I did not even know of his existence 24 hours ago.

I realized, though, that my comfort around Edward may be due to the fact that him and I were alike, so I felt like I knew him. He was also a single parent of a six-year-old boy, he knew exactly how I felt.

It could be frustrating and sometimes unbearable trying to be both parents at once. I knew Ben needed a father in his life, that's why we lived with my Dad up until now, just so it could be easier on me and Ben. But I still was the only parent he had, and this was difficult for him, too.

There was an upside to being the single parent, though: I had an unbreakable bond with Ben, and I wouldn't trade that for the world. He was all I had, and I was the same to him, so we clung to each other and did everything together. He trusted me and I trusted him. I loved him with my life and I loved that all of his love was given to me, as selfish as that sounded.

I got out the shower and dried off with the towel, then proceeded to get dressed. I applied a light touch of makeup to my face, and decided to let my hair stay natural so I just let it stay wet. I grabbed my phone and went into Ben's room. I smiled at the sight in front of me.

Ben was reading a Dr. Seuss book out loud, struggling a bit over the words but still managing to read it successfully with no help. I smiled at my son and walked slowly into the room, listening to him read. He smiled up at me but continued reading.

"I do not like them here or there. I do not like them anywhere. I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-am."

I could not help but be proud of him. His teacher told me at the end of the year that Ben was smart for his age. She shared that he learned everything quicker than everyone else, he was just a fast learner. She said he was a great student and she loved having him in her class.

I listened quietly until he finished the book, watching as he closed it with force, happily looking at me with a proud expression on his face.

"That was very good, honey! I'm proud of you," I stated and took him into my arms, giving him a hug.

"Thanks, Mom," he said and then pulled away, asking when Anthony was coming.

"Ben, didn't I tell you to be patient?" I said sternly as I pulled my phone out of my pocket and checking the time. 8:38.

"He will be here in about 20 minutes, why don't we watch cartoons until them?" I asked. Ben's eyes lit up and he all but sprinted downstairs. I placed his book back on his bookshelf and walked downstairs. Ben was already sitting on the couch with the remote in his hands, finding Nickelodeon. I sat down next to him and wrapped my arm around him, smiling as he curled into my chest. His eyes were completely focused on Spongebob.

We watched TV in silence until we heard the doorbell ring. Ben shot up and yelled "Anthony!" happily and ran to the door. I followed in suit and checked my phone. It was 9:00. Damn, Edward was right... he was going to be outside at exactly 9:00.

By the time I was at the front door, Anthony and Ben were already talking excitedly and then they tried sprinting past me into the backyard, but I stopped them before they could go outside.

"Benjamin, you know the rules. No going outside on days like this without sunscreen. Why don't you two wait for me in the living room while I talk to Anthony's Dad?"

They both huffed in annoyance by my orders, but listened to me nonetheless, walking into the living room. I turned to Edward.

He was doing that stupid crooked smile again and I had to look down at my feet, trying to recollect my thoughts. I couldn't focus when he did that.

"Thanks again for doing this, Bella. I'll have to make it up to you. Why don't you and Ben come over for dinner tonight? I'll make some hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill when I get back from work for all of us, just to show how much I appreciate it," he offered. I looked up at him and he was smirking, probably knowing why I haven't looked him in the eye. The bastard knows he's hot.

"That sounds good, the kids will love that," I agreed and watched as his eyes lit up.

"Great! Okay, so here's Anthony's car seat, just incase you drive anywhere. You guys could use my pool, as I said yesterday, his bathing suit is right here with the car seat. Just unlock the gate around the pool, you can do it from the outside. Anthony's pool toys are in the shed by the pool, and so are his floaties. If you have any questions, my phone is on me," he said, patting his pocket.

"Sounds good. I'll take good care of him, don't worry," I said honestly. He nodded his head, saying "I know you will,"

Edward promised he would be home around 5:00, and then he was off. He waved at me as he drove away, but before he was completely out of sight, he flashed me that crooked smile.

* * *

"Boys, lunch time!" I yelled out the kitchen window at Ben and Anthony, watching as they ran with much energy into the house and claiming their spots at the kitchen table.

"What did you make for us, Mom?" Ben asked as he watched me walk around the kitchen.

"Grilled cheese sandwiches with apple slices," I replied and placed the two plates in front of them. Both their eyes widened with happiness and they dug in. They've been playing outside since Anthony got here, not stopping to take any breaks. I wish I was their age. The only thing they worried about was not being able to play, or getting injured. Their worlds were carefree, something I longed for.

"Bella, can I have a drink, please?" Anthony asked politely, looking at me with his beautiful green eyes, just like his father. I had to look away, he was so much like Edward that it was scary.

"Of course, what do you guys want?" I asked. They both asked for lemonade. I poured them both a glass and they almost drank it all in one gulp.

"Can we go swimming in Anthony's pool after lunch, Mommy?" Ben asked. Anthony looked for my response, waiting for me to say 'yes.'

"I don't see why not," I answered. They both cheered loudly in response, giving each other a high-five with great force. I giggled and waited for them to finish lunch.

They spent the rest of lunch talking about tricks they learned to do in the pool, and how fast they can swim. Ben loved swimming, he forced Dad to get a pool a few Summer's back even though Forks saw rain basically 6 out of 7 days of the week. Ben didn't care, he would swim even if it was -3 degrees out.

Anthony apparently loved swimming, too. He had so much energy and enthusiasm when he talked about it, more so than he usually does. He said that he makes Edward swim with him whenever he isn't working, even if he doesn't want to. I laughed at that, imagining Edward lying in a pool, wishing he was anywhere else.

Without even realizing it, I noticed that I had payed close attention to every sentence that came from Anthony's mouth, waiting for him to say something, anything about his Mom. But he didn't, everything was about Edward, he had so many stories about him. It was adorable to see how much he looked up to him, but I felt so bad that Anthony doesn't have a Mom.

Just like Ben doesn't have a Dad.

I shook my head, attempting to erase the thought from my head. Today was supposed to be a fun day and I didn't want to ruin it by moping around over something I had no control over.

When the boys were finished with their lunch, I took them upstairs into Ben's room so they could put their bathing suits on.

"Whoa! Cool suit!" Ben praised Anthony, eying his navy and red Spider-man swim trunks. Anthony smiled and looked down at his legs, clearly pleased with himself. He then looked at Ben's trunks and his eyes widened in disbelief, as well.

"Not as cool as yours!" Anthony fought back, pointing at Ben's purple and black Batman suit. I found it adorable how they both had superheroes on their swim trunks.

"Okay, Batman and Spider-man. You two stay here while I get my suit on," I said as they started playing with Ben's train set, Ben showing Anthony all the controls on his remote for the train. I shut the door then went into my room, looking for my suit.

I fished out the only bathing suit I had from inside my closet, the navy blue bikini. I put it on and then put my clothes back on top of it, heading back to Ben's room after grabbing three beach towels.

I called the boys from outside Ben's room and not even 5 seconds later they were out the door and running downstairs, making their way into the backyard and over to Edward's. I walked slowly behind them, stopping in place as I heard my phone ringing. I pulled it out of my pocket and read the Caller ID: Edward Cullen.

"Hey, what's up?" I talked into the phone as I walked up to the boys who were waiting for me at the gate that surrounded the pool, since they were too short to unlock it.

"Just checking in, how is everything?" The velvety voice asked over the phone. Even when I couldn't see him, his voice still compelled me. I had to remember to think clearly. I tried focusing on the power tools I heard in the background, indicating that people were building something. I imagined a pretty house, not Edward.

"We' re just heading to the pool now," I answered as I unlocked the gate, taking in the amazing sight. There was a giant in-ground pool with a stone hot tub attached to it, and a waterfall that flowed water into the pool. Edward had a balcony on the second story, which gave shade to the area right before the pool and right in front of his screen door. There was a patio set in that shaded area, and to the right of it was a grill and a fire pit.

"Bella?" I heard Edward call, shaking me from my thoughts. I didn't even realize that he was talking because I was too focused on how beautiful his house was.

"Oh, sorry, I was just watching the boys," I lied, but took a seat on the patio chair and watched as they rummaged in the shed for pool toys. "What were you saying?"

"I said if there's any bugs in the pool, there's a skimmer in the shed."

"Alright, I'll find it if I see any bugs," I said.

"Sounds good. I'll pick up dinner after work and I should be home around 5 or 5:30, is that okay?" Edward asked. I told him it was fine and then we said goodbye.

"Ben, Anthony, you guys need your floaties on," I called to them. They poked their heads out from inside the shed and groaned loudly in dissatisfaction.

"Come here you little brats," I teased as they walked over to me, each of them holding two floaties in their hands. I put one floatie on each of their arms and made sure they were nice and secure.

"Momma, when can I get rid of these?" Ben asked as he wiggled his arms around quickly.

"Once you're a better swimmer than Michael Phelps."

Ben and Anthony just ignored my comment, probably not knowing who I was even talking about.

"Cannonball!" Anthony yelled, running towards the pull and jumping into it, hugging his knees at his chest. Ben laughed in reply and followed Anthony's motions, jumping into the pool with a huge splash that hit my feet.

"Benjamin Charles Swan! I didn't want to get wet yet!" I yelled at him and threw a beach-ball at his head lightly. Ben swam over to Anthony and whispered something in his ear, then they both smiled evilly at me.

I felt my eyes grow wide in fear and I wondered what they had in mind.

"Get her!" They both yelled and came as close to me as they could while still being in the pool, splashing me endlessly. My clothes were soaked since I still had them over my bathing suit.

I looked at them in disbelief and watched as they gave each other a high-five.

"You two are SO going to get it!" I yelled and slipped my clothes off, jumping into the pool after them. I swam over to them both and began splashing them with as much force as I could. They both squealed loudly and splashed me back, causing the pool to shake with wave after wave.

"Wave pool!" Ben yelled and starting splashing around as much as he could, making the waves even bigger. Anthony followed his actions and soon the the water was anything but still, half of it was landing outside the pool. I laughed loudly and moved my arms around, creating even more waves and thinking about how great my life was in this moment.

* * *

We swam around for a few hours, playing games like Marco-Polo and tag. I decided to get out of the pool around 4:30 and dry off before Edward came, so I could help him with dinner and such. When I got out of the pool, I noticed a stereo on a table next to the fire pit, with wires that were going into the house. I turned the stereo on and heard the music coming from all around, and I noticed that there were speakers on both ends of the balcony, making the music loud in the whole pool area. I turned the music up louder so the boys could hear and put on a station with mindless pop beats. It wasn't exactly my favorite genre, but the boys were enjoying the beats to the songs, dancing in the pool.

I made my way to the lawn chairs and reclined them down a little so I was relax. I laid down and sighed in relaxation, marveling in how great the sun felt on my skin. I missed it so much back in Forks.

I laid in that same position until I heard Edward get home, not wanting to get up.

"Hey, guys," I heard Edward call from behind me. I sat up and turned as I saw him approaching from the door that led to the inside of the house.

"Daddy!" Anthony chirped happily and got out of the pool. He ran over to Edward and hugged his legs before Edward could object.

"Hi, bud," Edward chuckled at his now-wet pants.

Anthony jumped back in the pool and tagged Ben, yelling "you're it!"

I looked at Edward and saw that he was smiling proudly at our sons.

"So how was your day?" I asked, curious. He looked at me, allowing his eyes to quickly roam my body. He was smiling when he was done checking me out. I just laughed.

"It was good, but it was so hot out," Edward said, wiping sweat from his forehead.

"You should have swam with us, it was a grand ole time," I said while laughing. Edward rolled his eyes.

"I wish I could have. How was he?" He asked, looking back at Anthony.

"He was great. We had a lot of fun today, the boys really enjoy each other's company."

"Yeah, I know. Anthony and I went to the diner last night with my parents and all he talked about were you and Ben," Edward informed me. I found myself blushing, wondering what Edward's parents thought of me from what Anthony said to them... Or what Edward could have said to them.

"I know what you mean. Ben asked about Anthony all morning until you guys arrived," I shared. Edward smiled in response and said "I'm glad they are such good friends."

"I am, too."

Edward and I called for the boys to get out of the pool and dry off, and then Edward went inside to get the hamburgers and hot dogs for the grill.

"Mommy?" Ben asked me sweetly as I wrapped him in a towel. "Do we have to go home?"

"Would you like to eat dinner here?" I asked him, and he whooped in reply and gave Anthony a high-five. I've noticed that they do that a lot, it was so cute.

Edward came back out with the food and some water bottles. He handed us each a bottle then started the grill, placing the burgers and hot dogs above the low flames. We sat at the patio and talked about our day until dinner was ready. I went inside to help Edward get the side-dishes as Ben and Anthony claimed their seats at the patio set and found which hot dogs and hamburgers they wanted.

Edward's house was beautiful. There were so many huge rooms that were filled with a lot of beautiful pieces of furniture.

I had to focus on getting the food before I wandered off and stared at his house.

He had food on top of the granite island in the kitchen that was waiting to be carried outside. I examined the food and saw that he bought a fruit salad, chips, and a caesar salad.

"Good choice, I love all this food," I told him as my stomach grumbled. He heard and roared with laughter, causing me to blush.

"Don't laugh at me," I scolded and swatted his arm playfully. He ruffled my hair in response and said "why shouldn't I laugh when you give me reasons to?" That earned him another swat on the arm.

I helped him carry the silverware and bowls of food downstairs and we took our seats next to our kids

"Yay! I'm starving!" Anthony boomed and starting taking helpings of each food, Ben following in suit. I laughed at them, they did everything together, like they wanted to be just like one another.

"Did you have fun today?" Edward asked, looking at his son and putting ketchup on his hamburger.

"Yeah! Me and Ben played baseball outside and then we ate lunch and then we swam the rest of the day! I am so good at Marco-Polo, Dad. I found Bella every time!"

This caused Edward to laugh again, and I cursed Anthony in my head.

"I guess Bella's not as fast of a swimmer as you then, son," Edward chuckled. Anthony smiled with pride and continued eating.

"I'm a faster swimmer than you, Edward!" I teased, causing Ben to yell "Go, Mom!"

"You really think so?" Edward teased back, smirking at me.

I stuck my tongue out at him and said "Okay, let's race after dinner,"

"You're on."

The rest of dinner went smoothly, the boys talked about Spider-man and Batman and Edward and I stayed silent, listening to our sons gush about their favorite superheroes. Dinner was over quickly and after we all cleaned up, I found myself standing at the top of the waterfall in my bathing suit, waiting for Edward to come out of the house since he was changing. Ben and Anthony were sitting in the patio chairs, facing the pool, ready for the race.

Edward came out and I had to stop myself from drooling. He was shirtless, and I noticed how well-defined his muscles were. His arms were huge and his pecks looked as if they were sculpted, and his abs were perfect. I almost fell off the waterfall.

He climbed up the rocks and stood next to me, looking like a Greek God. I had to look away.

"Alright Bella, first one to jump off the waterfall, swim to the other end of the pool, and swim back to the waterfall wins, got it?" He asked.

"Got it," I said with confidence and narrowed my eyebrows in determination to win.

"Alright, boys, call it!" Edward yelled and got his stance ready, as did I.

"On your mark, get set, go!" Ben and Anthony called in unison, and Edward and I both dove into the water. I swam as fast as I could, moving my legs and feet in sync, coming up for air only when necessary. When I reached the opposite end of the pool, I touched the wall with the legs and pushed off with full force. I was ahead of Edward but not by much, he could still get ahead. I swam as fast as humanly possible and was back at the waterfall a few seconds before Edward.

"Yay Mommy!" Ben yelled and stood up from his chair, clapping his hands. I threw my hands up in victory and looked at Edward.

"Told ya I was a faster swimmer than you," I said playfully and poked his chest. He smiled that crooked smile and dunked my head so I was under water. I came back up for air and swatted his arm again, then got out of the water. I turned around and saw that his eyes were roaming my body.

* * *

After the race, Edward and I got dried off and decided to call it a night, seeing that Ben and Anthony were about to fall asleep in the patio chairs next to us. They did nothing but play all day, I was surprised they weren't asleep hours ago.

"Ready to go, hon?" I asked Ben. He groaned in reply but reluctantly stood up, gathering his towel in his arms.

"Thanks again for watching Anthony, Bella," Edward said and smiled warmly at me.

"It wasn't a problem at all, we had fun," I smiled at the boys.

"Can we play again tomorrow? Ben asked hopefully. Edward was about to protest, most likely feeling bad for leaving Anthony with me again while he went to work, but I cut him off before he could speak.

"Anthony, you can come over again tomorrow if you would like," I said to him. Ben and Anthony high-fived again, and I faced Edward.

"It's no big deal, I love having him, and so does Ben," I told him honestly.

"Alright, if it's no big deal. I'm gonna be owing you forever. How about we go for ice cream tomorrow night when I get home? My treat," Edward asked and the boys cheered and did a victory dance. Edward and I chuckled and I agreed to his offer.

Ben and I said goodbye to Anthony and Edward, and made our way back home. I put the towels in the washing machine when we got home and then followed Ben upstairs.

I gave him a bath and he gushed about his plans for tomorrow with Anthony, saying he wanted to play cop and robber and other games. I smiled at his enthusiasm and let him talk the whole time. I loved listening to him talk about how much fun he had with Anthony, it made me happy to see him happy.

After his bath I put his pajamas on and put him to bed after turning his TV on for him. He liked to fall asleep while watching it.

"Goodnight, Mommy. I love you," he said honestly. I kissed his forehead and pulled the covers up under his chin.

"I love you too, baby," I said and then left his room, closing his door behind me and thinking about how well our new lives in Jacksonville were going.

* * *

There it is! I hope you guys liked it! Please Review with comments, they make me more motivated!

Thanks guys!


	3. Chapter 3

Hello guys :)

I'm so glad you all are liking the story so far, thanks for all the feedback! Your support means so much to me. I hope you guys like this next chapter, it's all about Bella going to Memorial Day picnic that Edward invited her to. Enjoy! And review please :))

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight OK?

* * *

BPOV:

The following days after the night I raced Edward in his pool were pretty similar. Anthony would come over in the morning, and him and Ben would play all day. They were either outside playing sports, swimming in the pool, or playing in the slip-'n-slide that I had set up in our yard for them. However, it was rainy on Thursday so the boys claimed that day to be "Pajama Day," and they stayed in their pajamas all day and played inside my house. They watched movies, built forts in the basement, and played with Ben's toys.

My Dad called on Wednesday, asking me how I was doing in my new house. I told him I was doing well and I told him all about Anthony and Edward. He said he was happy for me and he told me not to ruin it, and to not let Edward hurt me. I didn't understand what he meant by that, so I just let it go.

Edward thought it was a hassle on my part having to watch Anthony and Ben every day, but I loved it. My only concern was Edward's Mom growing upset over all of this, because she was the one that got to watch Anthony when school was out and Edward was working. But he assured me it was alright, his Mom said Anthony got bored at her house and she was more than happy that he had a new best friend.

It was the best feeling in the world to look at Ben, and even Anthony, and see how happy they made each other. They were in their own little world when they were together, nothing else mattered but each other. I loved that Ben had a best friend.

However, he was not the only one gaining a best friend. Edward and I hate become pretty close in such a short amount of time, but I didn't mind. We would text a lot throughout the days, teasing each other and making each other's days brighter. When we were together in person, we shared stories about anything that came to our minds. I usually didn't trust people so quickly, but something about Edward's soothing voice and warm eyes told me to trust him. So I did.

Every night when Edward came home from work, he would take Anthony, Ben, and I out somewhere. Tuesday night was the ice cream shop, Wednesday night was the local diner in town, Thursday night was the toy store (where he bought both Ben and Anthony an identical Batman action figure), and last night was a bike ride around the neighborhood.

Each night that we all spent together, we all grew closer and closer. It was strange how quickly and easily people could effect your life.

"Mommy, I'm ready!" I heard Ben call from his room, shaking me from my thoughts. I walked into his room and was pleased at what I saw.

Ben dressed himself in a green and navy-blue plaid polo, and tan cargo shorts with white basketball sneakers. I smiled, he looked so adorable and well-dressed for the occasion.

Tonight was the barbeque at the neighbor's down the street that Edward had invited me to the day we met. He informed me it was going to be held at Emmett and Rosalie's house, and their friends Jasper and Alice who lived in the neighborhood would also be attending. Emmett and Rosalie had a four-year old daughter named Angela and Jasper and Alice had a seven-year-old son named Eric, and Alice was now 7-months pregnant with her second child.

Edward said the kids were great and they would warm right up to Ben with welcome arms. I was glad at that part, I was so excited for him to meet new friends to play with.

Edward also said that Rosalie, Alice, Jasper, and Emmett were really fun and kind. He promised I would have a fun time tonight, but I was still a little nervous. I wanted them to like me and accept me and my son into their group. Edward said they were excited to meet me, though, and that eased some of my nerves.

"You look great, Ben," I said and kissed his cheek, causing him to giggle softly.

"Thanks! Can you spike my hair?" He asked sweetly, I nodded and took him to the bathroom, getting the gel out of the cabinet. I wet his hair a bit and ran the gel through the ends of his hair smoothly, creating a tiny faux hawk on the top of his head. He loved when I did this, he said it made him feel cool.

I finished the hairdo and looked at him, proud at my work. He asked me to pick him up so he could see into the mirror, and I held him up and watched his expression turn to satisfaction. He touched his hair and nodded his head slowly in appreciation, causing me to chuckle.

I put him down and said "grab your swimsuit, the beach is Emmett's backyard."

"Oh yeah! I can't wait!" He exclaimed and sprinted into his room, coming back to me within a good 10 seconds, Batman swim trunks in his hands.

"Okay, I need to go finish getting ready," I told him, looking down at my watch. It was 2:20, and the party started at 3. Ben and I were going to head over to Edward's around 2:45 and us four were going to walk to Emmett and Rosalie's house that was on the other side of the neighborhood together. "We have about 20 minutes until we will be leaving for Anthony's, why don't you go in your room and play while I finish touching up? I'll bring a beach bag for us to put our suits in towels in." He nodded in approval and headed back to his room.

I walked into my room, trying to figure out what to wear. It was sunny and pretty hot, so I decided on an orange tank top with blue and pink flowers on it, with light pink denim shorts and black flip flops. I let my hair stay natural and added a light amount of makeup.

When I was pleased with my appearance, I checked my phone: 10 minutes to get to Edward's. There's no shame in being early, right?

"Ben, let's go!" I called from the hallway. He bounced of the room in excitement. I laughed under my breath, thinking about how much energy he had as I placed our bathing suits, towels, jackets (incase it got cold), and sunblock into a beach bag.

We headed over to Edward's after I made sure the door was locked. Him and Anthony were outside playing, most likely waiting for our arrival.

"B!" Anthony called to Ben, meeting him halfway between our yards and giving him a high-five.

"Hey, A!" I heard Ben call back to him, and they both ran back towards Edward's yard, kicking a white soccer ball to each other. I laughed at the new nicknames they made for each other.

"Hey, Bella. You're lookin' lovely," Edward said whilst smiling and wiggling his eyebrows. I rolled my eyes, saying "you don't look too bad, yourself." And I meant it. He was wearing a dark blue t-shirt that was quite tight, hugging the muscles in his arms and pecks very nicely. He also wore white cargo shorts and a pair of white sneakers. I loved the way he dressed, casual, but he made it look so sexy.

"Why, thank you," he said and bowed in place. I called him weird and yelled for the kids. They met us and grabbed our hands. It was adorable. I had the beach bag in one hand and Ben's hand in the other. Ben was holding Anthony's hand, and Anthony was holding Edward's hand, who was also carrying a beach bag. As we walked down the street, all holding hands, it felt like we were one family, like we were all connected. I knew it seemed strange, but I loved the thought, it just seemed so natural.

I smiled to myself.

* * *

"Eddie-boy!" I heard a man's voice boom loudly. We walked up the stairs of Emmett's giant deck that was placed in his back yard and I was amazed at the sight. There were four people standing in front of me. Everyone except for one girl, who I assumed was Alice since she looked very pregnant, were drinking beers casually and telling stories. There were speakers attached to the house that played a Luke Bryan song outside, and tiki torches were lit decoratively around the deck.

"Emmett, you're so weird. But hey, the party's lookin' great," Edward complimented. Emmett was huge, with dark brown hair and light brown eyes. But his same smile stayed planted on his face, like it was permanent. He was like a giant teddy bear.

Emmett then looked at me and smiled knowingly. "You must be Bella!" He cheered and gave me a giant hug, spinning me around quickly. I thought I heard one of my ribs crack.

"Yeah, that would be me," I said while I laughed after he put me down. "And this is my son, Ben,"

"Ben! How are ya, little dude?" Emmett asked as he kneeled down so he was eye-level with Ben.

"Good," he answered, somewhat shyly.

"Anthony! How's it going? Eric and Angela are playing video games in the basement, why don't you take Ben to meet them and you all can play?" Emmett offered, smiling warmly. Anthony shouted "race ya!" to Ben, and they both ran inside, laughing.

"So, this must be Bella," one of the girls said while approaching me with a smile on her face. She wasn't pregnant so I assumed it was Rosalie.

"Yes, hi, it's so nice to meet you," I said as politely as I could, trying my best to get them to like me. She smiled at said "Hi, I'm Rosalie, I'm so glad you could make it!"

She was beautiful. She had long blond hair that was curled into perfect waves, with piercing blue eyes that were complimented with the perfect shades of eyeshadows and eyeliners. She was thin, but had curves in all the right places. And her smile sparkled like the sun.

I felt my self-esteem drop to an all-time low.

Just then, Alice bounded over to me with a great amount of energy, and she gave me a hug.

"Hi, I'm Alice, I'm so happy to meet you!" She gushed and pulled away from me, smiling cheekily.

She was beautiful, too. Her hair was dark and cut very short, with a style that poked out at the sides, which complimented her small face. Her eyes were also blue and her makeup was done perfectly. Both of these girls were gorgeous, I needed to get some tips from them.

"Hi, it's great to be here. I've been really excited, and so has Ben," I told them truthfully, they smiled and pulled me over to meet Jasper.

He was handsome and extremely kind. With his dirty blond hair and blue eyes, and let's not forget his southern accent, he reminded me of a cowboy.

We all talked casually for a while, having conversations about the weather and the beer we were drinking. I did not want to put a bad influence on my child, so I didn't really drink much at parties. One beer was enough and I was content for the night.

"I have to go check on the baked mac-&-cheese," Rosalie said, then looked at me and Alice. "Want to come with?"

We agreed and followed her inside, and the guys stayed on the deck. The house was beautiful, and it looked just like mine and Edward's. However, I was quite envious at the fact that the beach was right behind the fence at the end of her property.

"I hope this turned out good," Rosalie said nervously as we made our way into the kitchen. Alice and I sat in the stools at the island in the center of the kitchen as Rosalie opened the oven and peeked her head inside.

"It's not quite done yet, but I'd rather stay inside and talk if you guys don't mind, Emmett's loud-ass voice gives me a headache after a while," Rosalie mumbled under her breath, causing Alice and I to laugh.

"So, Bella, Edward says you're from Washington?" Alice said. It was a statement, but it came out as a question.

"I was actually born here, but my Dad and I moved to Washington when I was younger. I've always wanted to come back, so once Ben finished the school year I moved in."

"That's great, I love it here, too. So, what do you do for a living?" Alice asked again as she dipped a tortilla chip into salsa and popped it into her mouth.

"I was a second grade teacher back in Washington, and I was planning on doing the same here. A few weeks ago, I called the elementary school a few blocks over and they said to send them my information, so I did. I'm waiting for them to call me back," I informed them as I took a tortilla chip for myself.

"I hope you get the job, I'm sure you will, I've never even talked to Ben but you seem to be really good with kids. Speaking of Ben, he is one of the cutest boys I have ever seen in my entire life, so adorable!" Rosalie chirped. I smiled and thanked her, it made me feel great when people complimented my son, it was like I was doing a great job with him.

"So, do you two have jobs?" I asked curiously.

"Me and Rosalie are a tag team, here," Alice said and put her arm around Rosalie's shoulders playfully, "I'm a fashion designer, and Rosalie models for the clothes that I create." I should have put that one together. Alice's clothes looked expensive but very fashionable, and Rosalie was gorgeous.

"That's so cool, it sounds like you guys have a lot of fun together."

"Oh, yeah. We're attached at the hip!" Alice exclaimed, pulling Rosalie in closer. Rosalie rolled her eyes teasingly and shoved Alice off of her, saying "get off, I'm trying to eat."

"Anyways!" Rosalie yelled loudly towards Alice, clearly annoyed by her, then finished her sentence "Jasper is the editor of the fashion magazine Alice and I work for, he types it all up and sends it to the publisher. If Emmett worked for us, it would be like a double date every day. But he would never go anywhere near fashion, he owns an auto shop," she explained. These people had amazing jobs and they were so young. It made me feel so unaccomplished. But I payed the bills and provided for my son, that's all I needed.

Alice started bouncing up and down excitedly in her seat. "So, what's the deal with you and Edward?" She was wiggling her eyebrows and licking her lips. I threw a chip at her.

"We're just friends, I only met him last week."

"Oh, don't give me that shit, Bella! I see the way you two look at each other, it basically screams 'fireworks'," she said, still giving me that same look. I had to look away before my cheeks burned up.

"I don't know, he's a great guy, but I'm not one to rush into relationships. I've had a bad experience with a boyfriend before and I'm not ready to date again unless I trust someone enough to give them a chance," I shared, causing the conversation to grow more serious.

"I understand. But Edward is a great guy and I could never imagine him hurting anyone. He's had a bad experience with dating in the past as well and he knows how you feel," Rosalie explained to me, keeping her voice low incase Edward could hear, since the sliding glass door that led to the deck was open.

I pondered her statement. Rosalie was right, Edward was a great friend, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to make him something more. I've only known him a week, but I would be lying to myself if I said that I didn't want to get to know him better.

* * *

Once dinner was ready, we called the kids up from the basement and led them outside to the deck where the table was set. Emmett cooked a huge amount of hot dogs, cheeseburgers, and chicken on the grill. Rosalie also prepared corn on the cob, baked mac-&-cheese, mixed vegetables, pasta salad, and a bowl of chips.

"What would you like on your plate, honey?" I asked Ben, who was standing next to me, gazing at all the food in amazement.

"Hmmm. A hot dog, corn, mac-&-cheese, and chips!" He said happily as I placed everything he wanted onto a plate for him. He thanked me and sat down at the table in-between Anthony and Eric. I made myself a plate and sat down in-between Edward and Alice.

"Okay, I would just like to make a toast!" Emmett announced as he stood up from his seat, raising a glass of water into the air. He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and cleared his throat. He looked like he was about to read the paper but he laughed right at it and threw it to the ground. I noticed it was blank.

"I just want to thank everyone for coming, and I want to welcome Bella and Ben. You guys are some cool peeps and I'm glad you could make it. Happy Memorial Day, and enjoy the feast! Cheers!" Emmett exclaimed proudly. Everyone clinked their glasses together and we all sat down and dug in.

The dinner was a blast. Everyone told stories about anything we could think of, and everyone was having a good time. I talked mostly to the adults, but I took a glance at Ben and saw he was talking about Spongebob to Anthony, Eric, and Angela, who were all laughing loudly at what he was saying. I smiled widely.

We ate until we were full, but we made room for desert anyways. Rosalie brought out a chocolate cheesecake, a fruit parfait, and an apple pie. I allowed Ben to have a piece of one desert, so he chose the cheesecake. After desert, the kids ran back inside into the basement, and the rest of us began cleaning up. I was bummed that we didn't go down to the beach, but it was quite windy and Emmett said the water was a bit cold due to Thursday's rain.

Once the mess on the deck was clear, we all went back outside and began to sit down, but Edward stopped me.

I looked at him, confused, but he was smiling that crooked smile again. Damn him.

"Would you like to take a walk on the beach with me, Bella?"

* * *

OOOHH! Semi-cliffie! Hehe ;) I'll try to update asap, but school is keeping me busy, not like I care. Hahaha.

Oh, and incase any of you were wondering of everyone's ages: Bella is 28, Edward is 29. Alice and Jasper are both 30, Rosalie is 26 and Emmett is 27.

Please review and tell me what you guys think, your feedback inspires me so much!

Thanks, love you guys! :)


	4. Chapter 4

Hello everyone!

Thank you so much to everyone who is following my story, your support is what keeps me writing! Don't worry, the story is going to start heating up soon, I promise. If anyone has any questions, let me know and I'll clear it up!

Also, I'm trying to figure out when would be a good time to start writing in Edward's POV, I'm thinking next chapter, but nonetheless, he'll be here soon! Thanks!

Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer, therefore, I do not own Twilight.

* * *

BPOV:

_Previously: Once the mess on the deck was clear, we all went back outside and began to sit down, but Edward stopped me. _

_I looked at him, confused, but he was smiling that crooked smile again. Damn him._

"_Would you like to take a walk on the beach with me, Bella?" _

"Um, sure, sounds good," I said, trying to sound polite, but I was still confused. Why did Edward want to walk on the beach alone with me? Why did the tone of his voice just sound off?

I got up and began walking off the deck and towards the beach, Edward on my tail. I heard him call out to the others, "if the kids need us, call me."

We walked down to the beach in a comfortable silence, which I spent trying to force my heartbeat to become regular again. I was nervous for some reason, and I don't even know if I have a reason to be.

Edward broke the silence by murmuring "aren't the stars amazing?" I looked over at him and he was staring up at the sky with amazement in his eyes. I followed his gaze and felt myself relax when I saw how beautiful the stars looked, especially when I was looking at them from the beach. It was hard to make them out since the sun was still setting, but there were still a few that were vaguely visible.

"Yeah, they're beautiful."

I kept my eyes on the stars, but I saw Edward look at me in the corner of my eye. I thought maybe he would drop his gaze, but he kept looking at me. I tried telling myself to keep my eyes off of him, knowing the effect he had on me, but I found myself looking at him anyways without being able to control it, his eyes making my heart flutter.

"So, I was just wondering, you know that carnival that is held at the other end of town every Memorial Day weekend? I'm sure you have heard of it since you've lived here before," Edward asked with a nervous glint in his beautiful eyes.

"Yeah, I know what carnival you're talking about, what about it?" I asked, suddenly growing scared. What did he have in mind?

"Well, I brought you down here to ask if you and Ben would like to go on a date with me and Anthony to the carnival tomorrow night?" He asked with playfulness in his tone, but at the same time, he sounded serious, almost scared. I had a feeling that he was trying to ask me out, but he was scared for my reaction, so he added our son's names in there, to make it sound less official. I was happy about that, I don't think I was ready for anything more than a friendship quite yet. I couldn't go through what I did in the past, I had to protect myself, and Ben.

But the carnival sounded fun, and I knew Ben and Anthony would enjoy it, so I said with as much enthusiasm as I could muster "yeah, sounds great!"

"Cool! I don't work on Monday so we can stay at the carnival a little later, if you'd like. The festivities begin at 4 and end around midnight, but I doubt we will stay that long. What time would you like to go?"

"How about 5? That way Ben and I can just eat dinner there," I suggested. He nodded and said "Anthony and I will most likely do the same."

It grew quiet then, and Edward sat down on the sand, his gaze shifting towards the waves and the sunset off in the horizon. It was one of the most beautiful pictures I'd ever seen, and I found myself sitting right next to Edward, not being able to take my eyes away from the view in front of me.

"That is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen," I muttered honestly, watching the waves crash and drift back into the water a few yards in front of us.

Suddenly, Edward's head turned towards me again, and I noticed that he was staring at me when he said "I've seen things more beautiful."

This time, I forced myself to keep my eyes in front of me and not look at Edward. I knew if I did, I would find something that I wasn't quite ready to find.

Just then, I felt Edward's warm hand slip into mine softly, his fingers lacing perfectly through mine. I should have pulled my hand out of his grasp, and asked him what he was doing. But, I didn't want to. My hand fit perfectly into his, and I didn't want to let go. It was most likely a friendly gesture on his part, but something about the romantic view ahead of us, or the way a spark had seemed to have flown when he touched me, that made me wish this moment could last forever.

I stepped into the shower, allowing the hot water to relax all the tense muscles in my body. Ben and I were leaving for Edward's in a little over an hour, and I found myself becoming nervous. I didn't know what Edward thought when I agreed to go to the carnival with him. Did he believe that this was a date, or did he think it was just us hanging out and taking our kids to have fun? Either, way, I was nervous. Most likely because of the way things went down at the beach last night: the way Edward was looking into my eyes and how great it felt when he held my hand in his. My heart skipped a beat at the memory.

I washed my hair and my body, trying my best to keep my mind off Edward. When I was done, I got out of the shower and got dressed in a strapless, black top with white denim shorts and black flip flops. Alice suggested last night that I would look "hot" in a tube top, so I gave it a try.

I blow-dried my hair and curled the edges, just like Rosalie had done last night. It worked out quite well, and after adding a touch of makeup, I was happy with my appearance.

I went to Ben's room to see if he was dressed yet, and I felt my eyebrows narrow in confusion when I heard the muffled sound of him talking with excitement.

I opened his door and saw he was talking on my phone, exclaiming "...and his Daddy Edward takes me and Mom out all the time and we all hangout together, it's so much fun! And Anthony's birthday is coming up and he said he's gonna ask his Dad if we can have a camp-out in his backyard for his party! Wouldn't that be cool?"

I heard a male voice on the other end of the phone, so I asked Ben who he was talking to. He mouthed "Grandpa."

I relaxed a little and smiled. It was great that Dad and Ben still had a close bond even after we moved. I motioned for the phone and asked "can I talk to him?" Ben nodded. "Mom's out of the shower now, and she wants to talk to you. Bye, Grandpa! I'll call you soon, love you!" He chirped, then handed me the phone, a huge smile planted on his face.

"Hey, Dad. What's up?"

"Hey, Bells. I called just to catch up but Ben answered your phone, he was talking my ear off about this Anthony kid, and he mentioned some other people, Eric and Angela, I believe? Dad asked, curiously.

"Yeah, Edward invited us to a barbeque last night at the neighbor's. There were two couples there who each have one kid. Ben got along with them really well," I said proudly and looked at Ben, smiling.

"That's great, honey. I'm glad he's accustomed to the new life so soon, and same to you. I can't wait to see you guys," Dad said, suddenly sounding upset. I decided to end the conversation before I got teary-eyed. I really missed my father.

"Me too, Dad. We'll see you soon, okay?"

"Okay, Bells. Take care, and call soon. I love you," he said honestly.

"I love you, too."

"Mom, can we go on some rides first?" Bell called to me as we walked into the carnival, his hand squeezing mine tightly.

"No, honey. We're all going to have dinner now, and then a little later we can go on rides. Okay?"

Ben nodded and Edward led all 4 of us to the ticket booth. He ordered some food tickets and some ride tickets, and we headed towards the food tent. I yelled at him when he payed for everything on his own, not bothering to let me pitch in. He just rolled his eyes and kept walking like he didn't hear my protests. Asshole.

After getting some pizzas and drinks for each of us, we found an empty table and took a seat. There was loud music playing in the background, but it wasn't too loud to the point where I couldn't hear what anyone around me was saying. It was a great atmosphere and I felt my nerves about the situation with Edward slip away. So far, this night felt just like every other night this week, like it was just us 4 spending time together. This was all I could give to Edward right now.

"I can't wait to ride all those rides after we eat!" I heard Anthony gush in excitement, and Ben's eyes lit up at the thought.

"Me, too! I wanna ride everything a million-zillion times!" Ben replied with just as much enthusiasm, practically bouncing in his seat beside me.

"Guys, you can't go on rides right after you eat, you'll get sick. You may ride the rides once you digest your dinner, so we can play some games after we eat," Edward suggested sternly. Anthony's head bowed in disappointment, but nonetheless, he shook his head in understanding.

We all dug into our feast of over-sized pizza, the boys talking excitedly amongst themselves about which rides they wanted to go on and how many times they wanted to ride them.

"So, Bella, what rides would you like to go on?" I heard Edward call to me. I looked over at him and shrugged my shoulders and said "not sure, what about you?"

"I've always been a giant fan of the ferris wheel."

"I like that, too. We're gonna have to ride that one together, what do you say?" I asked and nudged his toned arm with my elbow in a joking manner. He chuckled loudly and pinched my elbow roughly. I gasped and swatted his arm, thinking about how much I loved his laugh. It gave me butterflies when I heard his musical chuckles, and I didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. All I knew is that when he laughed, he looked so breathtakingly beautiful and I wished for nothing more than to keep him laughing forever.

"Rude!"

"You pinched me!" I retaliated, rubbing my elbow for emphasis.

"Want me to kiss the pain away?" He asked, his eyes growing serious, but his smile remained playful. I wanted to keep this topic on the funny side, so I cruised around his serious expression and said sarcastically "no, but you want to."

"You don't know the half of it," he teased and winked at me as he smirked with a smug expression written all over his face. I laughed, he was such a cocky bastard sometimes.

But I liked it.

We finished our dinner rather quickly, most likely because the boys were dying to officially begin their fun at the carnival. Once our stomachs were full, the boys grabbed mine and Edward's hands and dragged us forcefully towards the game booths.

"Let's play the basketball game!" Anthony yelled as he guided us toward the game he had in mind. It had 3 basketball hoops and you had 3 chances to make the ball into the hoop. You won any prize if you made a basket.

"Alright, bud, why don't we win this so we can get a nice stuffed animal for our favorite girl?" Edward whispered rather loudly in Anthony's ear, but he was looking into my eyes. Anthony smiled happily and give me a giant hug before saying "This one's for you, Bella!"

I smiled at his determination to win something for me, it was adorable.

Edward went over to pay the attendant, whose eyes were rather stuck in my direction, roaming all over my body. I looked at Edward and saw him glaring fiercely at the attendant, before slamming the money on the table with an unnecessary amount of force. The guy shook his head, maybe attempting to clear his head, and he handed 3 small basketballs to Anthony. I felt myself growing confused as I wondered why Edward got so upset when a guy checked me out.

Anthony narrowed his eyes in determination, and shot the first ball, missing completely. He groaned in misery and became even more determined to make the next shot. I smiled, knowing that all this was for me. It made me feel good that Anthony enjoyed my company just as much as he enjoyed my son's.

"Come on, A! You got this!" Ben chanted beside me. Anthony nodded his head at Ben and then shot the ball again, watching as it hit the rim of the hoop and bounced smoothly into the net.

"Yes! I did it!" Anthony jumped up in joy and pumped his fists in the air before Ben gave him a loud high-five.

I smiled and said "good job, hon," as I ruffled Anthony's messy hair. He grinned at me and gave me another hug.

"What stuffed animal would you like, Bella?" I heard Edward call to me. Anthony let me go and him and Ben grabbed both my hands, leading me back to the booth as if they were walking me down the aisle at my wedding. They were so intense about this whole thing, it made me laugh internally.

"Um, I like that giant tan teddy bear," I murmured and pointed at the biggest bear I found. The attendant nodded and handed it to me, avoiding eye contact with Edward. I thanked him, and then thanked Anthony for winning me a prize.

"No problem, it's because I love you!" He chirped. I suddenly felt my body grow warm, like the Grinch when his heart grew 3 sizes. It was amazing that Anthony already loved me so much, and I had only known him a week. But he was a great kid and I loved having him around.

I bent down and kissed the top of his head, saying "I love you too."

I looked over and saw Edward smiling happily at us, a look of pride and warmth in his eyes. I smiled back at him, and he came over and squeezed my hand, giving me a silent thanks. I squeezed his hand back, and then expected him to let go. But he didn't. Just like last night, he wound his fingers through mine and held onto me tightly, like I was his lifeline.

This was when I always had an internal fight with myself. Every time something like this happened with Edward, something indicating that we were a bit more than friends, two sides of me came out. It was like those scenes that were on some TV shows, when a devil would pop up on someone's shoulder and an angel on the other shoulder, and they would both try to influence a decision of the person that they had claimed.

The angel told me to stop feeling so good when Edward touched me, even if it was just holding my hand. The angel reminded me what had happened in the past when I had let a man become so important in my life, and this part of me said that if I wanted to keep myself and Ben safe, that I shouldn't trust people so easily. I should be more careful and put a guard up around the two of us, so nobody could hurt us again.

The devil though, craved the feeling that Edward brought me. The devil wanted Edward's touch, he wanted the spark that flew when Edward would lace his fingers delicately through mine. This part of me wanted to trust him and let him into my life as something more than a friend. This part of me said that Edward was a great guy and I deserved to be happy.

The worst part? I had no idea who to listen to.

We had played a few more games, and it was a lot of fun. Ben played the dart game and popped enough balloons to win himself a framed photo of a monster truck to hang up in his bedroom. He hugged the frame snuggly to his chest the rest of the night, shielding it from the world.

Anthony had also won another game. He threw a ping pong ball into a glass bowl full of water, winning himself a small goldfish. He squealed with excitement when the attendant handed him his new pet, and he decided to name it "Jackson" because we lived in Jacksonville. I laughed loudly at this, it was so cute.

The boys were about to head onto their first ride for the night, which was the scrambler, when my phone started ringing. I struggled to get it out of my pocket and watch the boys get onto the ride at the same time.

The caller ID was not saved in my contact list, but the area code was from Jacksonville. I felt myself growing confused, I didn't know of anyone besides Edward, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie in Jacksonville that had my number.

"Hello?" I answered hesitantly.

"Hello, Ms. Swan? This is principal Black from the elementary school. I had just looked at your information and your resume earlier today, and I am very interested in sitting down for an interview for the teacher's position at our school. When are you free?" A man's deep voice asked.

My smile was so big, it could have lit up the world. I internally gave myself a high-five. They were impressed with me! I could be getting a job. This was almost too good to be true, I don't know why I didn't move down here earlier. Our new lives here were fantastic.

Edward noticed my excited expression and smiled, but tilted his head to the side in confusion. I ignored him for a moment and boomed into the phone "Thank you so much, Mr. Black! I am free any time, when would be good for you?"

"I have off tomorrow, and I have a lot to do on Tuesday and Wednesday. Is Thursday at 1:00 good for you? The interview will be held here at the school in my office."

"That is perfect, thanks again for calling. I will see you on Thursday then!" I chirped politely.

"Yes, you will. Happy Memorial Day, see you soon!" He replied kindly.

"You, too, bye."

"Bye, Ms. Swan," he said finally before hanging up.

I was so happy that I was literally bouncing in excitement and pride for myself. I ran over and jumped on Edward, giving him a giant hug, not knowing how else to let out my happiness.

"Whoa, there!" He chuckled as he caught me and held me upright, but he didn't let go of me, and I realized how amazing it felt to be in his arms. They wrapped perfectly and securely around me, causing the devil to come out again and place butterflies all around my stomach. I pulled away, knowing I would let the devil win if I held on for too long.

"The principal of the elementary school just called, I have an interview on Thursday!" I said loudly so Edward could hear me. His eyes widened in happiness and a giant smile appeared on his perfect face, showing how proud he was.

"That's great, Bella! I am so happy for you, you'll do great!" He praised me.

"Thanks, Edward. God, I'm so nervous already though. I really need this."

"Don't be nervous. Trust me, they'll love you. You know what will help calm your nerves?" Edward asked with a playful tone as he nudged my shoulder.

"What?" I asked, growing confused.

"That ferris wheel ride you promised me!"

I giggled and nodded, saying "I'll be there."

The boys got off the ride then and wobbled dizzily over to us.

"Mom, that ride was so spinny, the sky is moving!" Ben yelled as he looked up at the sky and spun in circles, Anthony doing the same.

"Ben, you were the one who was dying to ride it!" I mocked and poked his shoulder. He grinned up at me.

"What ride is next?" Anthony called to us.

"Ferris wheel!" Edward yelled in excitement. The boys were on board, and we all headed over to the ferris wheel. Ben and Anthony got on the cart before us, and as the next car appeared, Edward stepped aside and extended his arm out to the empty cart, saying "ladies first," and smiling that crooked smile that always turned my knees to jelly.

I blushed and hurried to the cart, taking my new bear with me and placing it carefully next to me. Edward sat down next to me, and after a few more people got on and the carts were all filled, the attendant started the ride, and we were off. Our cart headed upwards toward the clear sky, the sun hitting us at the perfect angle as it was setting beautifully in the sky.

"Another beautiful view," Edward muttered next to me, and I knew he was referring to the sunset on the beach last night. I nodded, my breath caught in my throat as I examined the beauty of the sun setting off in the distance behind the tall trees.

I saw Edward gaze at me in the corner of my eye, and I couldn't help but gaze at him back. He looked into my eyes with a serious expression, a look of longing on his face. He looked at my lips, and then back into my eyes. I gulped as I felt myself being pulled towards him, like a magnetic pull was forcing us together.

Edward met me halfway, and before I knew it, he was leaning in and brushing his soft lips softly against mine. I closed my eyes and found myself kissing him back, my lips moving in a slow synchronization with his. Edward's arm wrapped around my waist, and his other hand cupped my cheek delicately. He gave me a few more chaste kisses before pulling away and placing his forehead against mine, a beautiful smile planted on his face.

I could have sworn I felt the angel and the devil appear on each of my shoulders, and the devil had a smug smile on his face.

They kissed! :) I think you guys would have been happy with that, but sorry with the semi-cliffie! Next update will be up asap, and we will see some of Edward's POV in the next chapter.

Review please, all criticism is welcome! Thank you guys so much for everything, love you all!


	5. Chapter 5

What's up guys?

I am very pleased with the outcome from last chapter, you guys never fail to make me smile. :) Thanks so much for the support! This chapter involved Edward's POV and Bella's POV as well, I hope you guys enjoy! Leave any suggestions or criticisms, all is welcome!

Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Twilight and I don't wanna talk about it.

* * *

EPOV:

Around 9:30, Bella and I decided it was time to head home from the carnival. We all made our way to my silver Volvo and I drove home with a cheesy grin on my face. The kiss I shared with Bella on the ferris wheel was more than I could have hoped for.

"Daddy, can we go get ice cream?" Anthony asked from the backseat. I looked in the rear-view mirror so he could see me, and I shook my head at him.

"It's too late, son. It's time to go home and get to bed."

Anthony huffed in annoyance, which didn't make me feel too good about myself. I wanted to make my son happy, but at the same time, I had to do what was best as a parent for him. After all, he only had me, so I had to make sure my job as his father was done correctly.

I looked over at Bella, gazing at her endless beauty. I had been captivated by her since the moment I saw her, so I chose not to ignore my longing and to just go for it.

She was staring out the window at the blur of the trees as we passed them in the darkness of the warm Summer night.

"Did you have fun tonight, Bella?" I asked quietly. She looked at me and smiled, but the smile didn't quite reach her chocolate brown eyes. "Yeah, thanks for taking us," she responded curtly before turning her head back to the window.

I frowned. We were having a great night, and the kiss we shared on the ferris wheel was magical. But once we got off that ride, she was acting a tad distant. I hoped our kiss didn't frighten her off. I know we have only known each other for a week, but it just seemed like the right thing to do.

I pulled into my driveway and got out of the car, Bella doing the same, and we both unstrapped our sons from their car seats and helped them out of the car.

"Dad, can me and Ben play tomorrow?" Anthony quizzed impatiently.

"Sorry, son. I have off tomorrow and Grandma and Grandpa want to see us," I replied, even though I wish I could have answered "yes" to his question. I wanted nothing more than to spend the day with Anthony, Ben, and Bella. I couldn't get enough of her.

"You can come over and play on Tuesday, honey," Bella chimed in sweetly as she gave her oversized teddy bear to Ben so she could hug Anthony. I laughed quietly as I watched Ben try to hold the bear, he couldn't even fit wrap his arms all the way around it.

"Okay, I can't wait! Thank you, Bella," Anthony murmured and hugged Bella back. She kissed the top of his lightly before turning to me, her face rather expressionless.

"I will see you on Tuesday, then?" She said.

"I'll text you tomorrow and let you know when I'll be bringing Anthony over on Tuesday." She simply nodded in reply, causing my stomach to drop. She loved our silly text messages, why was she suddenly off board with them?

"Bye, Edward, thanks for taking us!" Ben gushed and gave me a high-five after Bella took her stuffed bear back from him.

"No problem, bud. See you two later." Anthony and I waved as they walked back to their house, and then I brought him inside.

Anthony stretched and muttered, "I'm tired, I think I'll just skip the bath and go straight to bed," he was faking a yawn. I rolled my eyes at his attempt at getting out of bathing.

"Oh, no, mister. Get your butt in the tub, I'll be up soon," I told him whilst chuckling. He lowered his head in defeat but obeyed my commands nonetheless.

I tidied up a bit downstairs, and made a new home for Jackson, the fish Anthony had won at the carnival. I poured some water into a bowl and pinched a fingertip of food that the attendant had given us. I watched Jackson hungrily chase the specks of food as I brought him carefully upstairs and placed him on the table next to Ben's bed.

I then entered the bathroom and sat on top of the toilet seat as my son took a bath. Anthony said he was too old to be given a bath from his father, but I knew he wouldn't wash himself correctly. So we made a compromise that I would sit in the bathroom while he bathed, and he would bathe himself, but I would help if he did anything wrong.

"Tonight was so much fun, Dad," he said as he scrubbed his body gently with a washcloth.

"It was," I agreed and smiled cheekily, because right now I had every reason to smile. Whether or not Bella enjoyed our kiss was unknown, but I did, and right now, that was all I needed.

"I can't wait to play with Ben again."

"You'll see him on Tuesday, bud. Grandma and Grandpa are excited to see you tomorrow," I informed him, causing him to smile. My parents spoiled the shit out of him and to say he was happy about that was the understatement of the century.

Anthony finished his bath, and this time I didn't have to help him at all. Once his teeth were brushed and his pajamas were on, I tucked him into bed.

"Night, Daddy, I love you," he whispered groggily as the day caught up to him and his eyes started to close. I kissed his forehead and said "I love you, too."

I closed his door behind me and entered my room. I stripped down into my boxers and crawled into bed, the warm sheets calling my name.

I found myself thinking of Bella. Our kiss was different than any other kiss that I have shared with anyone else. When her soft lips met mine, it felt like an electric current passed through us, like time had stopped and we were the only ones left on Earth. I felt my heart swell as I reminisced on the memory that I was definitely going to cherish for a long time. I wanted to kiss her again, I wanted to pull her into my arms and press my lips to hers for hours and hours. I realized that I was growing feelings for the first woman since Anthony's mother.

But, the question growing inside me made me tense up. Why was she so blunt and unresponsive towards me after our kiss? I thought about the possibility that I had scared her off, but I also realized that that couldn't be possible. She threw herself into our kiss just as much as I had.

Maybe she was tired, it was a long night after all, maybe she just wanted to get home and get to bed. I left that as the explanation to my question, but I knew deep down that there was more to it then that.

* * *

Anthony and I pulled into my parent's grand driveway around 1:00 the next afternoon. Anthony got out of the car and sprinted inside of their mansion that was tucked safely into the forest.

"Anthony!" I heard Mom call as I followed Anthony inside. I stepped through the front door and saw Mom on her knees, giving Anthony a giant hug filled with as much love and energy as he could muster.

"Grandma, I can't wait to tell you all about my day yesterday," Anthony gushed, then ran over to greet my father with another hug.

"Hi, honey," My Mom greeted me and embraced me in a warm hug, kissing my cheek sweetly.

"Hi, Mom, how are you?" I asked genuinely.

"Good, what about you? You seem rather... happy," Mom said with a smile. I ducked my head and shifted my feet uncomfortably.

"I just had a good week, that's all," I muttered under my breath. Mom rolled her eyes and smacked my arm, just like Bella always does. I smiled, even though I just had been hit.

"I have lunch for you and Anthony, come into the kitchen," she directed and I followed her graciously into the kitchen.

There was a giant pile of hoagies and subs, and I chuckled under my breath. Since I was the only child, my parents always spoiled me and did more than they needed to do, since I was "their only baby," as Mom said a few times.

"Edward! How goes it, son?" Dad asked and gave me a handshake as Anthony sprinted over to my Mom and asked her to make a plate for him.

"Good, Dad," I answered and firmly shook his hand. He patted my back affectionately and made himself a plate of sandwiches. Once we all were ready to eat, we entered the dining room and took our seats, digging into the unnecessary, but thoughtful feast.

"So, Anthony, your Dad says that he had a good week, what happened?" Mom asked curiously. I should have known that she would try to weasel information about my happiness from my son.

"Well, every day this week Daddy and I hung out with Ben and Bella. They're so much fun! Ben and I play all day every day, and then every night Daddy would take all of us out to do fun things. Daddy bought me and Ben the same Batman action figure!" Anthony's words came out in a breathless rush.

Mom smiled knowingly in my direction. Last Sunday, Anthony had told my parents all about Ben and Bella when we had met them at the local diner, and I think Mom was starting to catch onto how close Bella and I were truly becoming.

"Ah, I see. I'm glad you found yourself a new friend," Mom said before taking a small bite of her sandwich. I agreed with what she said, Ben was great for Anthony. Anthony had always been close with Eric and Angela, but since Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper worked during the week and left their kids at daycare centers or relative's houses, Anthony didn't get to play with them all that much. But, since Bella was able to keep Anthony every day, him and Ben grew an amazing bond that I was grateful for. I don't know how much not having a mother effected Anthony, but I was glad he had someone to keep him occupied and happy.

"He's my best friend!" Anthony boomed beside me, shaking me from my thoughts.

"Well, I would love to meet him. Why don't you bring Ben over here on Saturday and we can all play? That way, your Dad and Bella can hangout somewhere, too, and have some fun," Mom said, smiling evilly at me. My Dad shook his head and chuckled under his breath, clearly understanding what my Mom was aiming towards. Was she referring to watching the kids so Bella and I could go on a date this weekend?

"Yeah! You'll love Ben!" Anthony yelled excitedly.

Does this mean I have to ask Bella on a date?

All these questions starting buzzing around my mind like an annoying bee. I decided to push them aside and focus on spending time with my family today. However, I knew these questions would come back and haunt me tonight when I was trying to sleep.

We finished our lunch, and I made sure the conversation drifted into a different direction. I did not want to figure out how to ask Bella out right now.

Once we were all done, Mom and Dad suggested we all go for a bike ride. We agreed, since they had some bikes here for Anthony and I, and we made our way to the garage.

Once Anthony strapped his helmet on, I walked towards my bike, but decided to text Bella and let her know the plans for tomorrow. I personally just wanted to see if she would reply curtly like she had last night when I would talk to her, or if she would give a sarcastic remark that always made me laugh like any other time.

_I'll be at your house at 9:30 tomorrow morning, don't be late!_

Her reply that alerted my phone a minute later caused my stomach to drop.

_Okay._

* * *

BPOV:

3 hours after we got back from the carnival, I found myself lying in my bed, hopelessly trying to fall asleep with little success. I could not get my mind away from the memory of Edward's kiss, or how perfectly and gently his lips brushed against mine...

I groaned and sat up in frustration. What was I going to do?

After he kissed me, I decided to back away a bit. I didn't want him to know how much I wanted him to kiss me again, so I acted as though it didn't effect me. I wasn't quite ready to allow him to enter my life as more than a friend, and I showed that. I answered his questions with a bit less compassion and kindness then I usually do, because I knew this was what I needed to do. I couldn't fall for his charm and his kiss, I had to be strong. I wouldn't allow myself to get hurt again.

But, dammit, I wanted him to kiss me again. I wanted him to pull me forcefully into his arms and kiss me like he meant it. That was one thing I couldn't ignore. I wanted him to tell me that I could trust him, that we could have a beautiful life together. In that moment, I realized that it only took me a week to develop feelings for the first person since Ben's father.

I rubbed my hand over my face and laid back down. No, I couldn't do this. I had to be strong, I had to ignore what I wanted and focus on what I needed, and what I needed is for Ben and I to be safe. Our new lives here are perfect and I can't ruin that.

But I didn't know how to ignore my feelings for Edward, they were the reason I was lying awake at 12:30 in the morning. So, I planned on doing the first thing I could think of. In the morning, I was going to call Rosalie and Alice and ask them to hangout with me, and I would tell them everything that had happened at the carnival.

I decided to try to fall back asleep, but the fact that the damn bear Anthony had won me was sitting in the corner of my room, staring at me, caused me to think of Edward.

I woke up in the morning to Ben laying next to me in my bed, staring impatiently into my eyes.

"Finally! I've been laying like that for like 3 minutes!" He exasperated, causing me to giggle.

"Let me guess, you just want food?" I assumed and tickled his sides. He squirmed uncomfortable but squealed in laughter.

"Mom! S-stop! Pl-plesae!" He managed to call out while trying to catch his breath. I let him go and kissed his cheek.

We went downstairs and I made him some eggs with toast. He dug in hungrily and I sat down, eating some cereal.

"What are we doing today, Mommy?" Ben asked, not taking his eyes off his meal.

"Well, I was hoping on hanging out with Rosalie and Alice, and if Emmett or Jasper are home then I can ask if they can watch you and you can play with Angela or Eric," I told him, praying he would be on board with the idea. As much as I wanted to spend time with my son, I needed a girls' day.

"Yeah! They were so funny!" He gushed excitedly. I smiled and grabbed my phone, calling Alice. She answered on the second ring.

"Good morning, Bella!" She chirped. I found myself wondering how she was always so giddy. She was seven-months pregnant for God's sake, she should be miserable. I know I was when I was carrying Ben.

"Hey, Alice, how are you?

"Good! What's up?" She asked curiously.

"I was wondering if you and Rose were working today? I'm in a giant need of a girls' day," I informed her.

"Uh-oh! I think I know who this is about!" Alice teased and said "we'll gladly hangout with you, we all have off for Memorial Day. Bring Ben over to my house around noon and Jasper and Emmett will watch him, Eric, and Angela. You, me, and Rose can go shopping!" She squealed so loudly that I had to pull my phone away from my ear. Ben began roaring with laughter.

"Alice, you're seven-months pregnant, and you want to spend your day on your feet?!"

"Do you really think I would give up the opportunity to shop?!" She mocked my ridiculed tone. You have two hours until noon, so move it, sister! My house is 312 Stonewall Road, 2 down from Emmett and Rosalie's. Hurry!" She demanded and hung up the phone. I laughed and finished my breakfast.

Once I was showered and dressed, I called Ben up from the basement and told him to get dressed.

"Honey, clean up your toys and come get dressed. We have 15 minutes to get to Alice's and you know how mad she'll get if we're even a minute late," I called. I heard Ben's soft giggle and he came up after cleaning his toys.

He chose to wear a plain green t-shirt with his bathing suit.

"Sweetie, why are you wearing your bathing suit?" I asked curiously.

"I'm gonna try and make Emmett and Jasper take us all to the beach!"

I smiled, Ben loved the beach and I knew Emmett and Jasper would love to take the kids. "Okay, but then you're going to need to bring a beach bag with a towel and sunscreen."

He nodded in understanding and packed his own bag, causing me to feel a sense of pride in my son.

Once we were ready to go, I strapped Ben into his car seat and headed off to the other side of the neighborhood in my F-150 pickup that my Dad had bought me.

I found Alice's without a problem, and Ben ran happily to the door as I followed behind with his beach bag.

Jasper answered the door and greeted us, "Ben, Bella, hey!" He gave Ben a high-five and gave embraced me in a kind hug.

"Hey, Jasper," I said as Ben entered the house and found Eric and Angela watching TV in the living room.

"Bella!" I heard Alice call from somewhere in the house. I followed the sound of her voice and found her, Rosalie, and Emmett standing comfortably in a beautiful kitchen with light blue walls and black-tiled flooring. They were all smiling warmly at me.

"Bella! How are ya?!" Emmett boomed loudly and picked me up, spinning me around in another one of his giant bear hugs. I laughed loudly as he set me down.

"You never fail to keep me entertained, Emmett."

"It's my job!" He responded and made his way to the fridge, like he owned the place. He pulled out a chocolate pudding cup and began eating it with his fingertips, moaning in hunger at the taste when it met his taste buds.

"Emmett McCarty! You cannot just eat their food without asking, you don't live here!" Rosalie scolded her husband like he was her child. He ran into the living room so she couldn't steal his pudding, yelling "Don't care!" As he ran.

Rosalie rolled her eyes and looked at Alice, saying "I apologize for...him."

"Rose, I'm used to him," Alice said whilst giggling.

"Okay, well we have a lot of shopping to do today, let's get going!" Rosalie yelled and clapped her hands for emphasis excitedly.

We went into the living room so we could say bye to our kids. I kneeled down so I was eye-level with my son and brushed the hair out of his face with my fingertips softly. "Okay, Ben. I'll be back in a few hours. Listen to everything Jasper and Emmett say to you, and if you need me, ask to use their phones and call me. And make sure you put on sunscreen if you go outside, okay?" I said sternly. He looked into my eyes and murmured "okay, Momma."

I kissed his forehead and told him I loved him.

"I love you, too, Mom."

* * *

"Alright, where do you guys want to go for lunch? I was thinking Panera?" Alice asked as she drove her yellow Porsche quickly through the streets of Jacksonville.

"Sounds good," Rosalie agreed and I nodded. Alice drove for a few more minutes and soon we were parked on the road and walking into Panera Bread.

We ordered soups and salads and once we had our meal and found a table, Alice and Rosalie were prodding me for information.

"So, what happened at the carnival?!" Rosalie hissed quietly. They both knew Edward asked me to go to the carnival with them on Saturday night on the beach, and they have been dying for gossip ever since.

I looked down sheepishly and started picking apart my bread in nervousness."It started out like normal. We ate and hung out and the boys played some games and went on some rides. And then the principal from the elementary school called and said I had an interview on Thursday," I informed them. They both squealed with praise for me, but then Alice said "we can talk about that later, what happened with Edward?" They were both on the edge of their seats, leaning closely towards me.

"Well, I told him I got the interview and he congratulated me, and he took me on the ferris wheel to calm my nerves. Once we were at the top, we both said how beautiful it was up there with the sunset and all, and before I knew it, we were leaning in towards each other, and we kissed. I know this is happening so fast, but it just felt...right."

"Oh my gosh!"

"No way!"

"I knew this was gonna happen!"

Their rants of disbelief were so loud that everyone in the restaurant started staring quizzically in our direction.

"Ssssh!" I hissed. They both muttered "sorry" simultaneously, but still prodded for more information.

"Was it a good kiss? How did you feel afterward?" Alice whispered intensely.

"I'm not going to lie, it was probably the best kiss I've ever had. Just the way the sun was setting and the top of the ferris wheel... It was...romantic. But I can't let Edward effect me so much. So after the kiss, I guess you could say I played hard to get. I've known him for only a week and I'm already playing tonsil hockey with him," I sighed in frustration, placing my face into my hands.

"You guys made out?" Rosalie asked in disbelief, her eyes growing wide.

I looked up at her in shock. "No! But you get what I mean. I can't trust him so soon. Let's just say that... my last relationship, Ben's Dad, ended horribly. He was not exactly nice to me and I promised myself that I wouldn't trust another man unless I was absolutely ready."

"Bella, I understand your fear. But, like Rosalie said at the barbeque, Edward is a great guy. He has a heart made of gold and he could never harm anyone. Just at least give him a chance, and let him know that you're scared to trust him. Don't strip him from having happiness with you without at least explaining it to him. But, the hard to get thing was pretty smart, keep doing that. It will show you how hard Edward is willing to work to get you," Alice advised. I nodded in understanding and took a bite of my salad.

"So, what do I do when I talk to him next?" I asked.

"Play hard to get, but not impossible to get. Make him work for it. But this doesn't mean you have to jump right into a relationship just because you've kissed. Take it slow. Do you know what I mean?" Rosalie asked with a gentle smile on her face. I smiled back and nodded.

We decided to let the topic go, and as we finished our lunch, we talked about everything and anything.

The shopping trip was going great. We pranced around the stores and tried on things that we thought were cute, and things that we would never wear in a million years. It was hilarious and I can't remember the last time I had laughed so much. I was definitely going to hangout with Rosalie and Alice more often.

I ended up buying myself a orange and white striped sundress with white wedges, and a new pair of black and white basketball sneakers for Ben. Alice and Rosalie bought half of each store we went into, causing me to laugh. The look on the salespersons' faces at each store was priceless.

We were leaving a small boutique when my phone began vibrating in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw I had a text from Edward.

_I'll be at your house at 9:30 tomorrow morning, don't be late!_

Hard to get, I thought to myself, play hard to get.

My reply was curt and simple.

_Okay._

* * *

There's Chapter 5! You guys now see both sides of this complicated relationship between Edward and Bella. I hope you liked Edward's POV, I'll do more of it in the next chapters.

Review and lemme know what you think and if you have any suggestions or comments, all is welcome, like always!

Thanks so much to everyone who is supporting me and keeping tabs on the story, it means the world to me! :)


	6. Chapter 6

Hola!

Last chapter's outcome was great, too! I'm just trying to get my story more popular so more people can see it, I'm trying to get as much feedback as possible. If you guys could help, it would be greatly appreciated, thanks so much for everything you guys do!

I have a feeling you guys are gonna really be on the edge of your seat for this chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Twilight no es mine.

* * *

BPOV:

"Momma, is it 9:30 yet?" I heard Ben bark impatiently from the living room. I grumbled under my breath and walked out of the kitchen to find him staring intensely at the clock hanging on the wall, muttering to himself about not knowing how to tell time yet.

"Benjamin, you really need to learn that patience is a virtue. It is 9:15, Anthony will be here in 15 more minutes. Sit down and watch TV until then," I ordered. He sighed and plopped onto the couch, fumbling with the remote.

It was going to be quite hot today. The weather channel predicted 88 degrees, but with humidity, it would feel like 95. I came to the conclusion that today would be a perfect day to take the boys to the beach, so I packed a beach bag for Ben and myself. I sent Rosalie a text message and asked her if I could park my car in her driveway and cut through her yard to go to the beach, and she was on board.

I felt myself growing nervous. I have not talked to Edward face-to-face since the night we kissed, and I didn't know what to expect now. Did he think we had some kind of fling? Did he think it was just a once-and-done deal? I groaned inwardly at the thought of him mentioning it, because I had no idea what to say or do. I hope we could just kill the topic and bury it deep in the ground.

But I also hope Edward will kiss me again.

I sat down next to Ben and watched yet another episode of Spongebob with him. We watched the show in a comfortable silence, and 15 minutes came before I knew it, and the doorbell rang at exactly 9:30. I was definitely going to make fun of Edward for that one day, he was always so punctual.

Ben got up off the couch in the speed of lightning and answered the door before I was even out of the living room.

"A!" He yelled as Anthony met him in the doorway.

"B!" Anthony yelled back and they high-fived.

"Come look at the lego city I made this morning in the basement!" Ben suggested. Anthony agreed with excitement and they ran happily to the basement door and down the steps.

I turned to Edward who was standing in the doorway, admiring our kids with a cheesy smile on his face. I felt myself relax as I gazed at his bright smile.

"They really are something else, aren't they?" He observed.

"They are, it makes my heart melt," I said playfully and held my heart for dramatic effect. This was easier than completely ignoring Edward. Friendship was good, I was not afraid of this at all.

"Oh, so you're a sap? I bet you sit around in your bath robe with ice cream crying over 'The Notebook' everyday," Edward joked with a laugh that sounded like a beautiful melody.

I cocked my eyebrow in disbelief and said sarcastically, "yes, it's my most valuable hobby."

This caused him to chuckle, and I found myself loving the idea of me being able to make him smile.

"Okay, I have his bathing suit here with me. I know you've mentioned something about having 2 car seats for Ben here at your house so if you guys go anywhere, using an extra car seat of Ben's will be fine if that's okay," he instructed me.

"That's perfectly fine. I was planning on taking them down to the beach today anyways, is that okay?"

"Yeah, that sounds like fun, just make sure to get his floaties out of the pool shed. I'll be back around 5 or 6, you and Ben can come over for dinner again if you'd like?" He offered.

Knowing how much fun we would have, I said "that would be great, thanks."

"Okay, it's a date then," he said gently before reaching down and pecking my cheek in a friendly manner. I felt my face begin to blush as my heart swelled in the warmth and delicate touch of his lips pressed against my cheek.

"See you later, then," he muttered quietly, his eyes turning into a careful glance as he looked at me.

"See you later, then," I repeated and smiled dreamily. He shot me his infamous crooked smile in return, and then he walked away, getting into his silver Volvo and driving down the street.

I touched the spot he had kissed and found myself smiling like an idiot.

* * *

We arrived at the beach around 10:00. I was planning on staying at the beach most of the day, so I had packed a cooler filled with 3 water bottles and 3 juice boxes, as well as containers full of fruit, a box of crackers, and 3 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

"Alright, boys, you ready for the beach?" I asked with emphasis. Ben and Anthony shouted "yeah!" From the backseat as we pulled into Rosalie's driveway.

After helping them out of the car, we all grabbed what we needed and headed down to the beach. As the ground switched from the grass in Rosalie's yard to the sand on the beach, I inhaled the sweet scent of the saltwater. The wind whipped my hair viciously, but it felt amazing in the heat. I took off my shoes and walked barefoot down to the ocean, allowing the hot sand to radiate warmth to my feet. I sighed in satisfaction, I could never get enough of this.

The beach was basically deserted due to the fact that it was a Tuesday and everyone was working. However, there was an older couple 80 yards or so away from us. They were sitting on a blue blanket, eating food out of a picnic basket and holding hands tenderly. I smiled, elderly couples who still went on dates after all those years of being together made my heart swell.

"Time to swim!" Ben yelled and tried to make a break for it as we claimed our spot on the beach.

"Hold it!" I called to him sternly. He froze in place and walked back to me with his head down in defeat.

"You're forgetting a few things..." I announced and then applied sunscreen to all 3 of us. After Ben and Anthony's floaties were on nice and tight, I made them look me in the eye.

"Now listen, boys. You are not to go anywhere in the ocean where the water reaches higher then your stomach. Okay?"

They both said "yes" in understanding, and I grinned evilly and shouted "race ya!"

I ran into the ocean with the boys on my tail, all 3 of us shrieking in delight. I invited the refreshing water to soothe my skin as it crashed against my body, the waves jerking me backwards. I looked to my left and saw Ben and Anthony splashing each other with as much force as they could muster. I joined in and all 3 of us started splashing each other as much as we could.

We swam around for a couple hours, the sun was resting perfectly in the sky, causing the water temperature to be perfect. We swam aimlessly, rode the waves, and collected seashells. Around noon, the boys began complaining of hunger, so we made our way back to our blanket and I pulled out the food and drinks for us.

"I am getting so tan!" Anthony exclaimed beside me as he lowered the waistline of his bathing suit a tad, showing a significant tan-line.

"Me, too!" Ben followed and did the same with satisfaction in his eyes.

"You two are so going to get all the girls," I teased. They looked at each other and both barked "EW!" in disgust. I forgot that girls had cooties at that age, my bad.

We finished our lunch after a few minutes, and the boys were off yet again, ready to play in the waves.

"You guys are going to get side-stickers, you just ate," I scorned. Ben grumbled under his breath and begged "please, Mommy? We just wanna swim around." He poked his bottom lip out and widened his big blue eyes. I mentally cursed him and gave into his cuteness.

They ran into the water as I laid on the blanket, keeping my eyes on them as they swam freely.

I found myself thinking about the future, and what it had to hold. I was a 28 year old single parent to a 6 year old boy. What did this mean for me? I had money, I had great friends, and I had a loving family. But was I ever going to fall in love? Get married? Have more children?

With all of those thoughts, I found my mind drifting to Edward. I definitely was beginning to grow some feelings for him, but what was going to happen? We hadn't spoken of the kiss, it felt as though it didn't even happen. But I wanted it to happen again. I wanted him to longingly look into my eyes and crash his lips to mine just like he had on the ferris wheel. I wanted to be the reason of his happiness. I felt a spark when I was with him, it was as if every time we touched, an electrical current was flowing between us. It was an amazing feeling, something I've never felt before. I wanted to feel it again.

It was in that moment, as I was relaxing in the hot sun, that I realized that I wanted my future to be spent with Edward.

It was also in that moment, that my future crumbled into pieces right in front of me.

* * *

EPOV:

It was a long, painful day at work. I was working on a new project, which was building an apartment complex in a small town just outside Jacksonville.

It was disgustingly hot, my crew was tired, and I had a headache from their vast amount of complaints. They weren't working as efficiently as usual today, and I was beginning to grow frustrated.

"Boss, can we go for lunch now?" Alec, one of the main architects on the crew, asked me tiredly.

I looked down at my watch."Yeah, it's 12:45 now, be back at 1:30. Get something quick." He nodded in understanding, and everyone began to file away to their cars and drive off to the nearest restaurants.

I decided to stay behind. I had a hoagie packed in a cooler and I was planning on eating here as I worked on some blueprints for the project.

I was just about to reach for a pencil when I heard my boring ring-tone begin to blare in my pocket. I pulled my phone out and saw that Bella was calling me.

"What's up, Bella?"

"Ed-Edward. I... it's Anthony. We went t-to the beach... I was sitting in-in the sand watching them swim. He started dr-drowning when a giant wave came. I pulled him out and tried CPR but he...he was unresponsive. Ben called 9-1-1 and th-they came with an ambulance. I'm following them t-to the hospital now. I'm so sorry, Edward, I'm s-so sorry," Bella hiccuped, indicating that she was crying.

I felt my world shatter around me. My son. My baby. I couldn't move, I couldn't speak. My stomach dropped. My heart felt like it had stopped beating. I was in total shock, I didn't know what to do with myself.

But I had to do something, I had to get to Anthony. I found my voice and hissed anxiously into the phone "Which hospital?"

"Memorial." Thank God, Dad could take care of him then.

"What's his condition?"

"He was unconscious when the ambulance arrived," she informed me.

"I'm on my way."

I ran as fast as I could to my Volvo and revved the engine, flooring it back to the highway. I invited the warm tears to soak my face as I drove. I had one goal in my mind, and that was to get to Anthony, and that goal was what kept me going. If I didn't have the determination to see my son, I would have ended up pulling over to the side of the road and sobbing in despair. But I couldn't do that, I had to keep moving. For him.

I pulled out my phone and called my Dad's cell.

"What's up, son?"

"You're at work, right?" I asked nervously.

"Yes, what's wrong, Edward?" He asked with a strain of fear in his voice.

"Bella was watching Anthony and Ben at the beach, a wave came and Anthony began drowning. Ben called 9-1-1 and Anthony is on the way to the hospital now." I choked the words out so fast I was surprised he actually understood me.

"Relax, Edward, I will take care of it. Just get here as soon as possible. I promise, Anthony will be okay."

I hung up with a glimmer of hope coursing through my veins. Suddenly, all the beautiful memories I've shared with Anthony recreated themselves in a giant blur throughout my head, reminding me of how important and special he is to me. Those memories were what caused me to drive even faster.

I was going to do everything in my power to make sure my son was okay. I had no other choice.

I arrived to the hospital in record time and arrived in the waiting room as fast as humanly possible.

Mom, Bella, and Ben were sitting silently in the waiting room. They all had their heads bowed in stress, and I could hear my Mom crying softly. The sound made my heart ache.

I walked slowly over to them and sat in between my Mom and Bella.

Bella heard my approach and looked up at me with tears silently welling in her beautiful eyes. It killed me to see her crying, so much so that I felt my own tears begin to slide down my face. I was numb at this point, it was like I was a zombie and I was incapable of doing anything.

"Edward, I am so sorry, I was watching him. He swam too far out, I got there as quick as I could." Bella's explanation flew swiftly out of her mouth. She had panic everywhere in her eyes. Her voice spoke of sincere regret and pain.

I grabbed her hand and laced my fingers through her tiny ones, squeezing her hand to assure her that it was okay.

"It's alright, Bella. How is he?" I asked anxiously.

"Dad came and got him and rushed him off on a gurney. He should be back shortly to inform us of Anthony's condition. He is going to be okay, Edward," my Mom soothed as she rubbed my knee tenderly. It took every aching muscle in my body to force a smile her way.

It grew quiet again, all of us lost in our own stressful thoughts. My own mind drew a blank, I could barely even think. Breathing was actually becoming quite difficult. I have never felt pain like this in my life. I did not even know of my son's condition right now, he could be fine, or he could not. And that question was agonizing.

Mom looked over at me, and began to speak in an effort to slightly get my mind away from what had happened.

"Well, Anthony was right. Bella and Ben are great," she approved with a sad smile on her face. Bella smiled in return, as well as Anthony. However, their smiles did not reach their eyes.

"I wish we could have met under different circumstances, Mrs. Cullen, but I'm glad we got the chance to meet," Bella muttered politely.

Mom smiled thoughtfully and said "Don't worry, dear. Please do not take the blame on yourself. And, call me Esme."

Bella nodded, but it grew quiet once again. There wasn't much to say at a time like this. All of us just got lost in our own empty sorrows.

* * *

After waiting about a painful hour that felt like an eternity, Dad finally came out into the waiting room. He looked tired, pained, but he had a gentle smile on his face. I felt a glimmer of hope spark within me as I jolted out of my chair and ran over to him.

"How is he?" I asked, searching his eyes fiercely for an answer.

"He is fine, just a slight strained neck from the wave throwing him around, but that should recover easily. He is asleep right now, he should wake up in a few hours. We've worked diligently and were successful in getting his heartbeat and breathing pattern back to normal. He should recover quite nicely. Would you like to see him?"

We all nodded, and I felt a smile plant itself onto my face without effort. My son was going to be okay. I heavily let out a breath of air I didn't realize I was holding. Relief coursed through my veins, and it felt like a thousand pounds was lifted from my shoulders. I could breathe again.

As I walked, I remembered that the crew was probably wondering where I had gone. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and saw a few missed calls from some crew members. I sent Alec a text, explaining that there was a family emergency.

Dad led us quickly to Anthony's room, and I pushed the door open harshly and fumbled to his side. I examined his body and felt the pain again. There was an oxygen mask over his mouth, needles poked into his skin, and a brace around his tiny neck. I hated seeing him like this, but he was going to be okay.

I grabbed a chair and sat close to him. I smoothly grabbed his hands with mine and rested my forehead on his fingertips, whispering "Daddy's here, bud. Daddy's here."

Mom, Bella, and Ben came over silently and showered Anthony's sleeping forms in hugs and kisses. I heard Mom choke back a sob, but as I turned towards her, it was a happy cry of relief. I felt tears well in my own eyes once again, and I invited them.

I looked up and saw tears in Bella's eyes as well, but she was smiling widely.

We sat like this for a few hours, but conversations were easily flowing between us. Ben was loving the attention he was getting from Mom as he told her stories about anything that came to his mind. Mom said she wanted him and Anthony to come over sometime soon, and Ben was on board. He loved Mom already. Bella and I laughed at his enthusiasm, and we shared a few conversations ourselves.

"Edward, I really am sorry, I understand if you don't trust me with Anthony anymore," she whispered in a pained voice and lowered her head in defeat.

I gently hooked my finger under her chin and forced her to look into my eyes.

"Bella, it was an accident. You even said yourself that Anthony swam further than you told him to. There was nothing you could do to control it. You pulled him out and did what you could, and you deserve my thanks for that. Of course I could trust you with Anthony again. We're just going to have to take extra precautions with a few things, okay?" I explained gently. She smiled in return and suddenly wrapped her tiny arms around my waist, burying her face into my chest. I snaked my arms around her in response and rested my cheek atop of her head. I felt her tears soak into my t-shirt, the stress of the day starting to take its toll on her. The sound of her crying broke my heart. I wanted to wipe away her tears and tell her everything was going to be okay, that I would always be here.

"Ssssh, don't cry, Bella. It's going to be okay, Anthony will be okay," I cooed softly in her ear. She relaxed in my embrace and pulled away, viciously wiping the tears away from her beautiful, flustered face.

"Mommy, don't cry," Ben murmured sadly and walked over to her, crashing his body into hers in a giant hug.

"I'm sorry, baby," Bella said in return and bent down so she could give Ben a hug. I looked at Mom and saw her smile lovingly at them.

That's when I heard it. Anthony's low mumble asking for me. "Daddy?" The sound was music to my ears. I felt a surge of happiness course through my veins as I heard his soft voice.

I ran over to his side as Mom grabbed his hand and kissed it. Anthony looked around the room in confusion, his brow furrowed.

"Daddy's here, bud. How do you feel?" I asked anxiously as I gently brushed the hair out of his eyes.

"Okay," he whispered tiredly. "What happened?"

"Anthony, you swam too far out into the ocean and get knocked down by a wave. I pulled you out as fast as I could, but we had to take you here to the hospital. Your Grandpa took good care of you," Bella explained as she rubbed his knee softly. He smiled at her and said with as much energy as he could muster "well, thanks for saving me."

Bella smiled and kissed his forehead tenderly. My heart swelled at the scene in front of me.

"Don't worry, honey, you can come over any time you want and I'll take care of you and make your favorite foods," Mom encouraged while grinning. Anthony's eyes lit up and he smiled tiredly.

"I'd love that, can Ben come, too?"

"Of course, sweetie," Mom said and bent down to brush her lips across Anthony's cheek.

We talked to Anthony for a little more, but he was growing tired again, the medicine and the day taking its toll on him.

Mom came over and whispered in my ear "Bella, Ben, and I are going down to the cafeteria. Would you like anything?" I shook my head 'no,' in response and received a sad smile from Mom.

As they left, Bella bent down and kissed my cheek lovingly, causing my heart to swell. The feeling of her lips brushed against me would never get old.

Once we were alone, Anthony looked at me with worry in his eyes.

"Daddy, am I going to be okay?"

I rubbed my finger across his cheek. "Of course, son, I promise. I am so sorry for all of this, I hope you're not mad at me or Bella."

"I'm not, it was an accident. I love being with Bella and Ben," he mumbled tiredly as his eyes started to shut. I kissed his forehead and said "me, too."

As Anthony fell asleep, I thought about what this event would do to the friendship Bella and I were sprouting. As the memory of us holding onto each other while crying flooded through my head, I realized that this day would only cause us to grow closer. I loved that thought, so with a smile on my face, I said to Anthony's sleeping form. "I love you, son."

* * *

Pretty intense chapter, reviews? Thanks


	7. Chapter 7

Hey guy, I have a few things to say!

Number one, thanks again to everyone who has supported me through the process of writing this story, your kindness means a lot to me.

ALSO: I am new to fanfiction and I am wondering how I can become a member of a community? If you guys could review and let me know how, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!

* * *

BPOV:

I threw the heavy comforter off my body in defeat. There was no way I was going to get much sleep tonight. It was Wednesday night at 11:45, and my interview at the elementary school was tomorrow. I have been exhausted since Anthony's accident, but I have barely slept since.

Every time I close my eyes, the image of Anthony's helpless body being suffocated under water plays in my brain like a broken record. I can't shake the guilt from my mind. I was responsible for Anthony's safety, and I basically threw that responsibility down the drain.

Edward had been reminding me since yesterday that accidents happen and it was not my fault, but I can't help feeling like he is wrong. Edward had trusted me with his son and I had betrayed him. I don't know how he could even look at me.

However, Anthony's recovery was going along rather smoothly. His head still often hurt, and his neck was to be in a brace for the next 3 weeks. He didn't mind though, he actually loved the attention and care he was receiving from myself, Edward, his grandparents, and Ben.

Since I had my interview tomorrow and would not be able to watch Ben, Edward was going to take care of him, since he had called his project at work off for the rest of the week due to Anthony's incident.

Ben was quite upset about the whole incident. He knew that because of this, him and Anthony couldn't run around and play until Anthony's neck was fully healed. He stood by his side, though, and played as many games as he could with him. It made me happy, knowing how loyal Ben was to his friend and that I had raised him to care for others.

I looked around my room in annoyance, knowing I would be deprived of sleep due to my guilt. So, I decided to go downstairs for a midnight snack.

I raided the cabinets until I was satisfied with a box of cheez-it's. Since it was a beautiful night, I decided to sit on the patio until I was ready to try to sleep again.

I walked outside and breathed in the fresh air of a warm Summer night. I pulled out a chair on the patio and sat down, staring up at the sky. There was a new moon that shined brightly in the sky, casting a light atmosphere in the darkness of outer space. I sighed in peace and reached into the box of crackers, taking a handful and shoving them forcefully into my mouth.

"Bella?"

I began to choke in fear when I heard a man's voice call my name suddenly. I looked around as I finally was able to swallow the crackers, but I did not see anyone nearby. In the distance, however, I could faintly make out a silhouette on Edward's back patio by the pool.

"Edward?" I called out.

"Come over here," he instructed. I felt my brow furrow in confusion, but I obeyed, nonetheless, and shuffled over to his yard, using the moonlight as a guide.

I opened the gate and entered his patio as I observed Edward lounging on a lawn chair around the pool, sipping on a glass of water.

"Couldn't sleep?" He observed as he pointed at the chair next to him, motioning for me to sit down.

"No, it's been tough. How did you know I was outside?" I asked as I took a seat, relaxing at the comfort.

"I heard your door shut when you went out onto the patio. I couldn't sleep either, too much on my mind."

I instantly felt the guilt run its course through my veins once again. My irresponsibility with Edward's son caused him to lose sleep. If I would have just been more careful, this could have easily been prevented.

"I'm sorry, Edward," I whispered sadly.

He huffed in annoyance and turned so he was facing me. He cupped my cheek delicately and forced me to look at him.

His eyes were gentle, his voice soft and smooth as velvet. "Bella, how many times do I have to tell you? It's not your fault. Anybody could have been watching him and this still could have happened. You did not instruct Anthony to swim far out into the ocean, he did that on his own."

"I know, but-"

He interrupted me. "No buts. You're overreacting. You did everything you could to save him, thank you for that. I appreciate it."

I nodded in understanding and looked deeply into his eyes, getting lost in the emerald green. Edward smiled warmly at me and kissed my forehead in a friendly manner, but the touch sent jolts throughout my body. I wanted it to be more than a friendly gesture. I had to look away and turn forward again so I was facing the pool.

Edward did the same and asked before sipping his water "So, you ready for the interview tomorrow?"

"As ready as I'll ever be. I got my outfit picked out, I've replayed my interview at the elementary school in Forks over and over again in my head. I hope I have it all down."

"You'll do great, Bella, they're going to adore you," he said honestly and flashed his crooked grin my way. I blushed in reply.

Because of the incident, I felt...closer to Edward. It was like the tragedy that struck us caused me to crave his comfort and emrace more. I felt more open with him ever since I had cried in his arms, almost like it was natural.

I looked over at Edward and smiled, but as I saw him playing on his phone, the light reflecting onto his face, I frowned. He had sunburn all over.

"Edward, why do you have such a bad case of sunburn? Don't you wear sunscreen?" I scolded.

"Um, it was hot out yesterday at work before I got to the hospital. And no, I forgot to put it on," he answered in confusion. I felt my stomach drop as I stared at the redness covering his skin even more. I can't believe I didn't notice that at the hospital. I guess I was just so caught up in Anthony.

"You should wear sunscreen, Edward. Do you know how potentially dangerous the sun could be?"

He put his phone down and turned in his seat so he was facing me, a look of seriousness on his face. "Bella, I've noticed that you're always very strict about sunscreen. Why is that?"

I felt the blood reach my face as I thought about whether or not I should tell him. I trusted him, and for some reason, I wanted his comfort. However, I hated talking about this and I haven't in years.

"It's just important," I mumbled sheepishly as I looked down.

He hooked his finger under my chin, forcing my eyes to meet with his. They held worry and concern."There's more to it, Bella, you can tell me," Edward whispered softly.

I took a deep breath in nervousness, but I wanted to tell him. It had been welling inside me for years and I needed reassurance from somebody, and I wanted that somebody to be Edward.

I started from the beginning. "I was born and raised here in Jacksonville. My parents were always so happy. They got along great, and we were basically the ideal family. My Mom owned her own pediatrician practice on the other side of town, and my Dad was the police chief. We had plenty of happiness, friends, love, and money. My Mom was obsessed with the beach, she would go down as much as possible and would come home with sunburn all over her body whenever she went. But she didn't mind, she said it was 'all part of the experience'."

I felt the tears begin to well in my eyes as I continued. "One day, when I was twelve, she found a lump above her lip. She knew it wasn't normal, so she had it checked out. She had developed Melanoma. She fought as hard as she could, but she had lost the battle 4 years later. Over those 4 years, she saved most if not all of her money into a saving's account for me. We got by fine with just my Dad's paycheck. That's how I can afford this house, because of my money mixed with what my Mom had saved for me. After she passed, my Dad and I wanted a fresh start, so we moved to Forks. At first, it was agonizing to be without her. We were a close family and it killed my Dad and I to have to be without her. On the other hand, though, we were, in a way, relieved that she had passed. She was suffering so much and I hated seeing her that way, I just wanted her to be free."

By the time I finished the next sentence, the tears were flowing freely down my face at the memory. "So, that's why I obsess over sunscreen. I have to do whatever I can to prevent the same thing that had happened to my Mom to happen to anyone else I love."

I looked up and saw tears welling in Edward's eyes, as well. Suddenly, he picked me up and pulled me into his lap. He wrapped his arms around me tightly, and I buried my face in the croon of his neck, accepting his comfort.

"I am so sorry, Bella. No family deserves to deal with anything like that. She sounded like a wonderful woman, and I know she would be proud to see the wonderful person you have become," he soothed me as he stroked my hair tenderly. His words made me cry even harder, but I needed it. The memory of my Mom had been bubbling up inside me for years and I needed to let it out.

Edward held me securely in his arms for what felt like forever. He gently rocked me back and forth and stroked my hair as he whispered loving words gently into my ear. His comforting embrace relaxed me after a while, and I wiped the last of the tears away.

"Sorry about that," I mumbled as I pointed to the wet stains on his shirt from my tears.

He chuckled softly and said "don't worry about that, Bella."

He kissed my forehead again and said "I'm glad you were able to tell me that story, and I promise, I will always be here for you to talk."

I looked into his eyes and I saw promise. I smiled, but I couldn't look away from his eyes. The moment was too perfect, too real. I had to feel closer to him, I needed his touch.

I leaned towards him and slowly brushed my lips onto his, softly at first. Edward responded with more effort, and soon our lips were moving passionately against each others. He wrapped his arms around my waist as I snaked mine around his neck. I parted my mouth and he sought entrance, pushing his tongue tenderly so it met mine. Our tongues battled one another, causing a groan to escape from my throat. His mouth felt too good against mine, his kiss was too good to be true.

Once I needed air, I pulled away and looked into his eyes, which held burning desire. I grinned at the expression on his face, at his swollen lips from how fiercely they had crashed into mine. He flashed me his crooked grin yet again and I felt my face begin to burn at what had just happened. I had basically just attacked him.

"Bella, you drive me crazy," he muttered playfully as he ran his fingers through his messy hair.

"I drive myself crazy, too," I whispered.

"I think we need to talk about this. We've kissed twice now yet nothing happens afterward."

I nodded in understanding and said "I know what you mean."

"Well, about the kiss at the carnival. I hope I didn't frighten you or anything. I guess I just got caught up in the moment," he informed me honestly as he took my hands gently into his, rubbing his thumbs in a relaxing motion over my knuckles.

"Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the kiss, but I would be lying if I said that I wasn't scared afterward."

"Why were you scared?" He inquired as he cocked his head to the side in confusion.

I looked down at our entwined hands. "Well, my last relationship, which was Ben's Dad, did not turn out too well and ever since then I have just been scared to get myself involved with someone in that way."

"What happened between you and him, if you don't mind me asking?"

"It's, um, kind of personal. I'm not exactly ready to share yet. I'm sorry," I mumbled under my breath. Edward cupped my cheek softly and looked me in the eye.

"Bella, you don't need to tell me anything that you're not ready to share. You may tell me when you want," he said as his thumb brushed gently against my cheek, causing me to smile automatically.

"So now what?"

He smiled warmly. "Well, we can just get to know each other until you're ready for the next step. I really would like to take that step with you, but for now, we can just stay friends, just like we've been these past few weeks."

"That sounds perfect," I breathed.

"Well, I know of the perfect opportunity to get to know each other better," he mumbled nervously.

"What's that?"

Edward looked down as he spoke, anxiously kicking a tiny stone around the pavement. "My Mom wanted to have Ben and Anthony sleep at her house Saturday night. Maybe you and I could go out that night, if you would like?

I felt my face grow hot. I had not been asked on a date in a very long time, but it felt good. It felt like I was a 16-year-old girl who had a giant crush on the star football player. My heart began to flutter.

I hooked my finger under Edward's chin and made him look at me, just like he always does to me, and told him "I would love to."

* * *

Sighing nervously under my breath, I pulled into the parking lot of the elementary school. I found a parking spot and parked the truck, fumbling out of my car and adjusting my clothes so they look as nice as they could as I had walked.

I felt more refreshed today than I had yesterday. After my talk and kiss with Edward, I had went home and gotten a good night's sleep, contentment radiating throughout my body at the memory of his lips pressed delicately to mine.

I stopped those thoughts abruptly; I was going to an interview, I could not be thinking intimate thoughts right now.

I buzzed in and was allowed in by a secretary who was older and seemed very friendly.

"Hello, you must be Ms. Swan? I recognize you have an interview with Principal Black today," she greeted as she stood to shake my hand.

"Yes, that is correct."

"Very well, why don't I lead you to her office," she offered and motioned for me to follow her down the narrow corridor. We stopped suddenly in front of a door that had the graving "Principal Black" on the door. I felt the butterflies begin to fly endlessly throughout my stomach, but I tried to regain composure. I didn't want to show my nerves, I wanted to show confidence.

"Good luck!" The secretary chirped and headed back to her desk. I took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Come in," a deep voice welcomed.

I opened the door and was met with a small room with a giant desk with a computer, and 2 chairs on the other side of the desk. Behind the computer sat a dark-skinned man with dark hair, brown eyes, and a pearly-white smile. He was young, and rather attractive.

"You must be Bella. Nice to meet you, I'm Jacob Black," he greeted me rather unprofessionally, which I was surprised about. I was expecting him to refer to himself as 'Principal Black' or 'Mr. Black'.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you," I answered with as much confidence as I could muster as he stood to shake my hand.

"Well, Bella, have a seat and we'll get started," he said and pointed to one of the chairs behind his desk as he sat back down in his own seat. I sat down slowly, preparing myself for one of the most important moments I have faced in a while.

"Well, to begin, according to your information, your performance at the school you used to teach at was done rather successfully, correct?" He asked as he began typing away on his computer.

"That is correct, sir. I loved my job and the kids really loved me, as well. I used many different teaching methods that I had learned in college and those methods worked effectively according to the students' grades."

"I see. Speaking of college, I understand that you received a 3.8 at the University of Seattle, where you earned your bachelor's degree in elementary education. Very impressive," Mr. Black complimented graciously. I inwardly did a victory dance as I realized that he was impressed with my work.

"Thank you," I answered, feeling less insecure with myself.

"What do you feel are your greatest strengths?" He asked curiously.

"Well, I feel that I am very skilled with communicating with young children. I have a six-year-old son of my own, so understanding and disciplining kids is definitely a strong spot of mine. I also know many different methods of teaching that students consider fun, which positively effects their process of learning and growing in terms of education, since fun methods of teaching cause students to pay closer attention."

"I understand. What do you feel are some of your weaknesses?"

"Well, considering my performance at the old school that I taught at, I remember having so much planned for each day, that I was not always able to fit all those plans in. However, I have gotten the hang of realizing which lessons are most critical in a child's learning process, so I do not feel that this will be a dramatic problem anymore," I answered honestly, feeling the nerves wash away at Mr. Black's small smile at my response.

"Very well. What would the atmosphere of your classroom be?" He asked as he continued typing on his computer.

"When I imagine a classroom for young children, I imagine a room that shows warmth and energy, something that reflects the students' attitudes. I would hang colorful posters on the walls. I would place a copy of the alphabet and a number line above the chalkboard. I would also hang up the students' projects so they feel confidence and happiness within themselves. I would make sure the kids get to stay active and on their feet while learning, and I would make sure everyone participated in the class. I imagine a special area of the room designed for things such as show-and-tell and story time, so the kids can express who they really are and feel good about learning."

Mr. Black smiled, seeming rather pleased, and looked into my eyes before saying "that sounds amazing, Bella. I could see the children really enjoying that."

"Thank you, Mr. Black," I responded, feeling quite proud of myself.

"You're welcome. Also, you've mentioned that you are good with discipline. How would you handle that in the classroom?"

I thought about my methods for disciplining Ben. And, knowing that those methods worked, I shared them with him. "I don't personally believe that being too strict or too soft with a child in the disciplinary field is effective. I feel that there should be a strong middle between the two. At my old school, I had used the red-yellow-green method. I'm not sure if you are familiar with it, so I will explain it. I had a picture of a stoplight hanging on the wall, and a clothespin with every student's name attached to the picture. Every day, each student started at green. If they did something bad, I put their name to yellow as a warning. If that same student misbehaved again, their name would be put on the red light. This meant that I would forbid the student to participate in recess that day. This method worked rather effectively because once a child saw their name being put on the yellow light, they knew it was time to start behaving, or else they would not be able to have any fun. If any student's name was placed on the red light, I would sit with them during recess and talk to them about what they had done, and I would make sure they knew not to do it again."

"Yes, I know what you mean. A kindergarten teacher in this school uses that method also, and it definitely works in her classroom, I have been fond of the method ever since I had seen her use it," Mr. Black told me honestly, and I felt myself smiling without being able to control it. I really think I landed this job.

"I understand. It was something I did with my son when he was a bit younger, so I decided to just bring it into the classroom," I explained.

"I see. Well, do you have any questions for me?" He asked.

Knowing that it was important to ask questions, I laid down a few that had been on my mind. "Yes, actually. About how many students are there per each class?"

"Normally, there are about 18 to 20 kids per class."

"Very well. Also, I enjoy getting the parents involved in the students' activities, how active are parents in this school?

He looked down while thinking, then said "Here, for the younger kids, we have many different programs and ideas to involve parents. Every holiday, we have a play that reflects what holiday we are celebrating, and the parents come and help with the play and come to see it. Also, around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, we have special lunches where parents can come in and eat with their students in their classroom. Everyone really enjoys that," he told me.

I nodded in understanding and said, "that answers all the questions I have for you."

"Me, as well. Your information is very impressive, as well as your teaching methods. I think this school could really use someone like you. I will send some paperwork to the superintendent, and he will tell me if you're hired or not. But, I think he will definitely like you," he told me with a grin. I smiled and felt butterflies fly around in my stomach, but they were because of happiness. I was so proud of myself, and of the new life I would most likely be able to lead.

"Thank you so much, sir. This means a great deal to me," I told him honestly.

We both stood, and Mr. Black shook my hand while saying "You're welcome. We will call sometime next week."

"Sounds perfect, thank you."

"Talk to you later," he called as I left his office, the smile never leaving my face as I walked all the way to my truck.

* * *

I rang Edward's doorbell with anxiousness. I had just gotten back from the interview and I could not wait to tell Edward, Ben, and Anthony how it had went.

Ben answered the door and crashed his little body into mine with a giant hug.

"Momma! I missed you," he murmured lovingly. I crouched down and kissed the top of his head, saying "I've missed you too, baby."

He smiled and grabbed my hand, leading me inside. Down the hall sat Edward and Anthony in the living room, watching "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."

Edward saw me approach and greeted me with a warm smile. He motioned for me to sit down on the couch next to him, and I obeyed. Ben ran over and sat down next to Anthony, who was still in his neck brace, which I hated.

"Hi, Bella!" Anthony called from the other couch. I got up to kiss the top of his head and say "Hi, Anthony."

I made my way back over to Edward, who asked "How did it go?"

I recreated a scene of the interview to Edward. By the end, he was beaming proudly at me with a big smile plastered on his beautiful face.

"I'm so happy for you, Bella! You definitely nailed it," he praised me as he wrapped his arm around my comfortably. I leaned a bit closer into his side, feeling the warmth of his embrace.

"Good job, Mom!" Ben called from the other couch. I giggled and said "thank you, Ben."

I turned back to look at Edward and asked "how was Ben? Was he good for you?"

Edward rolled his eyes teasingly and said sarcastically "He destroyed my house and murdered Jackson. Bella, Ben is always an angel. I don't know why you ask that."

I swatted his arm playfully and muttered "I was just asking," causing Edward to chuckle and wrap his arm tighter around me.

In that moment, life could not have gotten any better. Thinking about how well I had done at the interview while I laid in Edward's arms and watched TV with my 3 favorite guys, I wondered if anything in the world could ever make my smile fade away.

* * *

I hope you guys liked it, next chapter is Edward and Bella's date. :)

Reviews? Thanks for everything guys, I love you all!


	8. Chapter 8

Hey everyone!

Again, thanks so much for the endless support, it means sooo much to me. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, it's more of a focus on Bella and Edward alone. Review and let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.. :(

* * *

EPOV:

As I washed my hair forcefully, I could feel the nervous butterflies churning through my stomach. It was Saturday, tonight was my date with Bella, and I was anxious. Very anxious.

I want it to be perfect. Since she opened up to me a few nights ago, I want her to feel good that she did. I want her to be able to trust me with anything she wants to say to me. I want this date to show her those feelings.

I want to show her how truly special she is to me. I want her to know how important to me she has become in such a short amount of time. I want her to look me in the eye and tell me that she feels the same way.

But the burning question ached inside me. Would she say that? Does she feel the same way for me, as I do for her? I know she was the one to kiss me the other night, but was that an act of lust? Or was she just experiencing gratitude towards me because I had comforted her so much when she spoke of her mother?

I inwardly groaned as I pondered all the possibilities. A part of me was dying to know how she felt, but another part didn't want to face the truth of it. I was terrified of rejection, especially from someone as breathtaking as her.

I got out of the shower and planned the day. It was 4 now, Mom had come half an hour ago to pick up Ben and Anthony for a sleepover. Anthony's recovery was going smoothly. His neck still bothered him, but his headaches were far less frequent, and I was glad for that. He was growing annoyed about the fact that he couldn't run around and play with Ben, but he knew he would be able to soon, and he held onto that.

It was amazing to see how excited Ben and Anthony had become when Mom would mention the sleepover to them. Seeing Bella and Ben interact with my family made my heart swell with joy. It was like they were a part of my family. It's amazing how quickly they had become so important to all of us.

I had to the perfect date planned out for Bella, and I really hoped she would enjoy it. I was to pick her up at 6, so I had plenty of time to make this happen. I got dressed in messy clothes, knowing I could come back home and change for the date later. I pulled out my cell phone and called Emmett.

"Hey man, you ready?" He boomed enthusiastically into the phone. I pulled the phone away from my ear, rolling my eyes.

"Yeah, you got everything?"

"Of course. Jasper and I are ready to make this happen, so get your ass over here," he demanded.

I chuckled and said "I'm on my way."

"This is going to go great, Edward. I can feel it," he assured, growing serious.

"I think so, too."

* * *

BPOV:

I could feel the anxiety pulsing through my veins as I stared into my closet. I was in desperate need of new clothes, and I had absolutely no idea what to wear on this date tonight. I was already nervous enough about what would happen tonight with Edward, I didn't want to be worrying about how I looked on top of it.

How would Edward act tonight? Would he treat this night as two friends hanging out, or as two people taking the next step in their relationship? I'd be lying if I said I didn't want the second option. Ever since I had opened up to Edward, I felt...closer to him. Like there was a bond that could never be broken, no matter how hard I would try.

He was being rather secretive about tonight. He won't tell me where he is taking me, and he won't tell me how to dress. He simply said "I will pick you up at 6, and wear whatever you would like." What does that even mean? I grumbled to myself as I heavily threw my body onto my bed in defeat.

Suddenly, my phone rang, and I was shaken out of my worries.

"Hello?"

"Isabella Swan! Why did you not inform me that you and Edward are going on a date tonight?!" Alice snapped fiercely into the phone. I groaned, I completely forgot, and she would not be happy about this.

"I'm sorry, Alice, I forgot. How did you know about it?" I asked sheepishly

"Don't waste your time apologizing, Bella. Just get your ass over here. Jasper and Emmett just took Edward to prepare for the date, and Edward told me. Now you have exactly 2 minutes to get into your big-ass truck and get over to my house so Rosalie and I could get you ready. Move!"

"Alice, I don't even know what to wear! I still need to pick out clothes," I informed her.

"We have stuff here, just make sure that you're wearing a strapless bra, now go! See you in 2 minutes, and I mean it," she boomed before hanging up. I mumbled "stupid pixie" under my breath, but obeyed her commands. I pulled my only strapless bra out of my drawer and fastened it to my body, then threw on a pair of soffe shorts with a t-shirt, and headed for the door.

As soon as I pulled into Alice's driveway, her and Rosalie sprinted outside and opened my door for me, pulling me with much energy out of my truck.

"Guys, calm down!" I called to them as they grabbed my hands and shoved me inside and into Alice's bathroom upstairs.

Alice and Eric were playing in the living room with a toy truck and superheroes, and they smiled brightly as I made my way past them.

"Hi, Bella!" Angela smiled sweetly.

"Hi, honey."

"Mom, why are you pulling Bella's arms so hard?" Eric asked, his head cocked to the side in confusion.

"Because we have work to do, baby. If you need us, shout for me," Alice obeyed and continued to pull me to the bathroom.

"Guys, you haven't calmed down," I said in an annoyed tone.

"Bella, we have been waiting for this night since you have moved here. Do not tell us to calm down!" Rosalie scolded playfully as she plugged a curling iron into an outlet on the wall.

"What are you guys gonna-"

"Don't ask questions, just trust us. We are going to make you look beautiful," Alice interrupted as she grabbed a hairbrush and yanked it through my tangled hair.

"That hurts!" I whined, causing Alice to slap my arm.

"Nobody ever said beauty was easy!" She chirped. I rolled my eyes in return.

They got to work quickly, blasting music from Alice's laptop and singing to the songs loudly as they fumbled with my face and hair. They wouldn't allow me to look in the mirror, so my looks were on the line now. If I didn't like it, then too bad, because I have no time to redo anything. But I trusted Alice and Rosalie, and I knew they would make me look as good as they possibly could.

After about an hour of my hair being pulled, brushed, and wrapped in a curling iron; and my face being poked and patted with makeup, they were done.

"Look in the mirror," Rosalie suggested quietly, smiling at her work.

I turned in my chair and gasped. They made me look amazing, I've never looked this good before. They curled my hair into loose waves that fell down my back. They added a light amount of eyeliner to my eyelid, and a small amount of mascara on my eyelashes. There was a light pink shade of eyeshadow on my eyelid, with a dark purple in the corners, making a smokey-eye look. A beautiful color pink was put onto my cheekbones as a nice blush, and my lips were glossed with a clear coat.

"I look... so good. Thank you so much," I managed to get out, shocked out how they could make someone like me look so good.

"Bella, you look so great. Edward won't be able to keep his hands off you!" Rosalie praised me as she waggled her eyebrows seductively.

Alice laughed but said "But really, Bella. We just want you guys to have a good time tonight." She wrapped her arms around me in a hug, and Rosalie yelled "group hug!" As she gathered us in her arms.

I giggled, but then pulled away, a serious expression growing on my face. "I'm kind of nervous."

"There's nothing to be worried about, Bella. Just be yourself and have fun. Everything else will fall into place," Rosalie soothed. I smiled in her direction, thankful for her kind words.

"I will. I just haven't been on a date in quite some time, so I'm a tad rusty."

"Well, maybe Edward will loosen you up then," Alice giggled while waggling her eyebrows and nudging my shoulder. I rolled my eyes at her sexual comment, but I felt my face growing red.

"Okay, Al. Enough with the sexual references before Bella's face becomes permanently red. Let's go show Bella what she's wearing tonight," Rosalie suggested.

I nodded and followed them into Alice's bedroom, where a strapless sundress with orange and pink flowers printed on it was lying on a bed. There was a tan belt around the waist of the dress, and sandals matching the belt were lying on the floor next to the bed.

"Guys, this is amazing! Are you sure it's all going to fit?"

"Trust us, Bella. Now go into the bathroom and change!" Rosalie instructed, pointing back to the bathroom. I grumbled under my breath in mock annoyance but obeyed her commands.

Of course the dress fit perfectly, as well as the shoes. I looked into the mirror and smiled in approval at my appearance. I don't know how they've done it, but they have. I was definitely going to have to thank them later. But, that had to wait, because I was about to go on a date with the most amazing man I have ever met.

* * *

I sat at the kitchen table, nerves racking my body. Edward was going to be here any minute, and as each second flew by, I grew more anxious. I wanted this night to go well, but what if Edward doesn't have a good time with me?

I was going to try my best, though. I would do everything in my power to make him smile and laugh tonight. It was the least he deserved. I wanted to make this night perfect for him.

_Ding!_

My heartbeat began to quicken as I fumbled to the door, preparing to face my date. I quickly smoothed my hair and fixed my dress, then opened the door.

If Edward looked any better, I would have taken him upstairs and pinned him down onto my bed. These thoughts usually don't surf my brain, but I allowed them to in this moment. Edward was wearing a light-green button-up shirt with khaki pants and a pair of brown dress shoes. His shirt was rather tight, causing the muscles in his arms and chest to be quite evident. His hair was in it's usual tousled mess, and his shirt caused his green-eyes to pop, causing me to get lost in them.

He flashed me his crooked grin and said softly "you look so beautiful, Bella."

I was so taken by his looks and his kind words, that I couldn't find my voice. I just looked him in the eye and nodded, then blurted out "you're beautiful, too."

He laughed loudly at my response, causing my heart to flutter. He wrapped his hand in mine and pulled me towards his car.

"You ready to go?"

I simply nodded in reply as Edward opened the passenger door for me and motioned for me to get inside. I smiled in thanks and got in the car, thinking to myself how chivalry is not dead after all.

Edward got in the car and revved the engine loudly, soaring effortlessly down my street. I so badly wanted to know where we were headed.

"So, are you gonna tell me where we're going?" I asked sheepishly.

He peered at me in the corner of his eye, then grabbed my hand, rubbing soothing circles onto the back of it. I felt myself relax under his gentle touch.

"I see where Ben gets his impatience from," he teased. I huffed in annoyance.

Edward let go of my hand to turn on the radio, changing the station to country. He rolled down his windows and sang to the songs he knew. The moment was perfect. Watching Edward sing made my heart swell. He looked so happy...so at peace. I couldn't help but roll my window down and sing along with him as we cruised down the back roads.

Suddenly, Edward pulled over to the side of the road, turning the radio down, and my heart dropped. Was he bored already? Was he going to take me home and call it a night? My heart began to race at the possible reality that I could face.

"What are you doing?" I asked in a small voice. He didn't answer, he just pulled a black blindfold out from under his seat and said "put this on," with a mischievous smile on his face and a twinkle in his bright green eyes.

I cocked my eyebrow in confusion, beckoning him to elaborate. "What are you doing, kidnapping me or something?"

He rolled his eyes in playful annoyance, then said "we're getting closer to our destination. I don't want you to notice where we're going."

I grunted in reply and mumbled "you're so annoying" under my breath, causing Edward to roar with laughter.

"And you're so cute. Now, where were we?" He muttered, turning the radio up again, and singing along to another song as I smiled widely at his compliment.

We drove for what felt like another 10 minutes, and then I felt the car halt to a slow stop.

"Keep the blindfold on," Edward instructed. I obeyed as he got out of the car and came to my side, wrapping his strong arm around me to guide me to our destination. I felt myself shiver at his simple touch. He had such a strong effect on me.

"What if I fall?" I whined.

"I'll be here to catch you," Edward was standing beside me now, his hands rubbing soothing motions onto my shoulders and his words a soft whisper in my ear. I shivered yet again.

I suddenly felt Edward pull my arm. We walked for about 30 seconds, then came to a stop.

"Okay, open your eyes, Bella."

I gasped. Off in the distance was a blanket with a picnic basket, candles, and rose pedals on top of it. The picnic was set up on the beach, the waves crashing beautifully in the background. I could feel the nerves drift away as I took in the amazing sight in front of me. It was perfect.

"Edward... this is amazing," I breathed.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, I've never seen anything like it."

He chuckled softly and said "Well, then let's not keep you waiting any longer." He grabbed my hand and placed his fingers delicately through mine, causing a jolt through my body as he led me to our beautiful destination.

As we sat down, Edward reached into the basket and pulled out a portable iHome and plugged his phone into it. Soft music quietly serenaded us.

"If you wanted to take me to the beach, why didn't you just take me across the street from our house? Why did you drive all the way here?" I was curious.

"Well, the beach by our houses is open to the public 24/7, and we wouldn't be alone that way. However, this beach is closed to the public after 6 P.M until June comes around. But, I had built a few houses for some of the people in this town who are involved with this beach and I was able to pull a few strings."

I nodded as he reached into the basket again and pulled out plates, glasses, silverware, and tupperware containers of food. He then pulled out a bottle of fancy-looking red wine.

"Would you like some?" He asked softly. I nodded, and he began to fill a glass for me.

He then filled one for himself, then held his glass up to the air. "To a perfect date."

"To a perfect date," I repeated, and clinked his glass lightly with mine.

* * *

"Damn, that was amazing. I'm stuffed!" I sang as I rubbed my stomach for emphasis. Edward laughed and began cleaning up the blanket, placing everything back into the basket.

Dinner went well. We talked mostly about our sons, but other than that, it was mainly small-talk. Edward said he wanted to save the more meaningful conversations until after we ate. I personally thought it was so we wouldn't have to leave the beach so soon. But, I wasn't complaining, I wanted to lie here forever.

We kicked off our shoes and Edward laid down slowly beside me, and I followed in suit. The sun was starting to set, reminding me of the night we had walked on the beach together. He lightly wrapped his arm around my waist and I welcomed his embrace by resting my head on his chest, cherishing the moment and the way I felt in his arms.

"So, tell me everything. I want to know everything about you," he whispered seriously.

"Well, where do I start?"

"Wherever you want."

I racked my brain for anything to share, but I came up blank. I felt myself growing more nervous as he waited for me to say something.

"I love the Yankees," I blurted out, and my eyes suddenly grew wide at my meaningless statement.

But Edward felt different about what I had said. He roared with laughter, a sound that was music to my ears.

"Really? Well we should be keeping tabs on the game that's starting in a few minutes," he suggested.

"What's the point? They're going to kill Kansas City!" I shouted playfully. Edward chuckled and stroked my hair tenderly, causing a shiver to run down my spine.

"I don't know about that one, Bella. The Royals are a pretty solid team."

I felt a smile grow on my face. I loved talking about baseball. It was one of the main ways that my father and I bonded, and I could talk about it for hours.

"Oh, please," I scoffed, waving my hand dismissively.

"Okay, let's make a bet. If New York wins, I have to do 3 things you want me to. And is Kansas City wins, you have to do 3 things I want you to."

I narrowed my eyes in mischief and said "you're on."

* * *

"Come on! Come on!" I screamed at Edward's phone. We were keeping tabs on the baseball game through an app he had downloaded. It was now almost 10 P.M., and Edward and I were still on the beach, sipping wine and watching the game intensely.

"Bottom of the 9th, Bella! Yankees are down by 2 but they're at bat. You better hope they can at least get 2 runs now, or it's over!" Edward teased. I rolled my eyes and tackled him playfully, causing his phone to fly out of his hand and onto the sand. He laughed as I sat on his stomach, glaring at him beneath me.

"I can't breathe!" He said, talking like he had no air in his lungs.

"Is that a fat joke?" I snapped teasingly. He rolled his eyes and reached for my hips, tickling me fiercely. I squealed and hopped off of him, crawling away as he tried to continue his tickling rampage.

"Edward...S-stop!" I managed to get out. He stopped tickling me and lifted me effortlessly in his arms, settling me in-between his legs so my back was against his chest. He dug his hands into the sand and grabbed his phone, holding it out so we both could see. I snuggled comfortably into his embrace as he tenderly kissed the top of my head before resting his chin atop of it.

"Get ready to be my slave, Bella," he whispered in my ear as Derek Jeter got out at first.

"Dammit, Derek! At least we have Sabathia on 2nd, though," I huffed.

I watched tentatively as Gardner got up to bat, hitting a double that sent Sabathia home.

"Yes, 1 more run and we tie!" I chirped. Edward chuckled softly in my ear, his breath causing the hairs on my neck to stand.

"Don't get too overconfident, Bella."

I prayed for another run as I watched Gardner get out at first, also.

"1 more out and I own you," Edward teased in my ear.

"Please, please, please," I prayed softly to myself as Gonzalez came up to bat. 1 strike. 1 ball. Another ball. Another strike.

"One more strike is all it takes," Edward's voice was a low hum in my ear.

Strike three. I'm out.

I sunk deeper into Edward's embrace, turning my head hesitantly. He had a mischievous smile on his beautiful face, his eyebrows narrowed in evil.

"What do I have to do?" I whispered in a small voice.

But Edward didn't answer. He just lifted me up and ran towards the ocean as he carried me bridal-style.

"What are you doing?!" I shrieked as he ran into the water, watching it rise higher and higher onto his body. He dropped me and I plopped into the water, laughing loudly.

"Edward! This is not my dress!" I scolded and splashed him with water. He rolled his eyes and said "Washing machines have been invented."

I grinned evilly and ran up to him, tackling him so he fell into the water.

"I am so going to get you!" He boomed.

I squealed and ran away from him as fast as I could, even though the water was up to my knees. He followed swiftly, catching up and grabbing me by the waist. He turned me around so I was facing him, a look of seriousness on his face.

His hands snaked tightly around my waist, the water dripping from his hair onto my arms. Like I was a robot, I wrapped my arms around his neck without being able to control it.

"Playing in the water was the first thing you had to do..." he started.

"What are the next?" I looked into this beautiful eyes.

"Number 2: Our sons are having a sleepover tonight, so why don't we do the same? Sleep at my house tonight."

I felt my eyes widen in disbelief. He wanted to have a sleepover? My face grew red as I thought about what could possibly happen. But I would not refuse. I didn't want to.

"Okay, and number 3?"

"Kiss me," he whispered softly, leaning in and planting his lips delicately onto mine. He kissed me gently at first, but it grew deeper, our lust and hunger for one another becoming evident. He wrapped his arms around me tighter, but I needed more. I jumped up and wrapped my legs around my waist. Edward groaned as my behind brushed over his groin, but he deepened the kiss.

Tonight was going to be one hell of a night.

* * *

Reviews? Lemme know what you guys thought of the date!

Thanks


	9. Chapter 9

Hello!

Again, thank you for your support and response, I'm so glad you're all enjoying what I've been doing with this story. This chapter is going to be a good one, so I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight ok.

* * *

EPOV:

Bliss. That was the word that best-fit my emotional state right now. As I drove Bella back to my house after our date, the windows rolled down and the radio playing a soft country tune, I couldn't stop myself from smiling as I rubbed the back of Bella's hand with my thumb. I was on cloud 9 and I don't know what could get me from coming back down to the ground.

I should probably be nervous about the night ahead of us, and what would happen between Bella and I when she slept over. But my body only had room for happiness.

"Did you enjoy the date, Bella?" I asked as I looked over at her, marveling in her flawless beauty.

"Of course, I couldn't have asked for anything better." Her small smile of assurance was what caused me to believe her statement.

"It really was amazing," I whispered as I brought her soft hand to my lips and kissed it gently. She smiled and pressed her cheek against my hand.

The rest of the ride was spent in a comfortable silence, which I spent singing along to the radio and enjoying the breeze that flew around the interior of my Volvo. I looked over at Bella and watched as her hair whipped backwards while she gazed at the nighttime Summer sky. It was such a beautiful vision. I had to stop myself from pulling over and kissing her passionately.

We pulled into my garage and I got out swiftly so I could open Bella's door for her.

"Thank you," she praised me.

"Anything for you, beautiful," I said with a wink.

After we got the blanket and picnic basket out of the trunk and put everything away, we found ourselves lounging in my living room with a glass of wine. Bella silently played with the bottom of my shirt as I stroked her head that was lying on my chest, her tiny arm around my waist. She fit so perfectly beside me.

"What are you thinking?" I couldn't help but ask, and I mentally cursed myself for being so nosy.

"I miss my Dad."

"I'm sorry, Bella. Have you talked to him recently?" I asked as I gently stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head in an attempt to comfort her.

"He calls every once in a while, but that's really it. It just feels weird because I went from living with him to moving across the country," the sad tone in her voice caused my heart to ache. I tightened my hold on her.

"I know it hurts but you and Ben have a great thing going for you here. You're both so happy," I stroked her cheek lovingly.

"I know. I just wish he could be here with us, too." Her voice was a whisper of regret.

"Bella, look at me," I instructed gently and watched as she slowly brought her eyes up to meet mine with tears threatening to spill over in them.

I rested my forehead against hers and said "he loves you no matter where you are, never forget that. And, I am sure he is happy that you and Ben are doing so well here."

She just nodded, so I pressed my lips to her forehead.

"Don't worry, you will see him soon."

I watched as she wiped away a stray tear that swam down her face. I hated seeing her like this, it tore me apart.

I wrapped her up into my arms again and buried my face into her hair as she pressed her face into my chest. She held onto me tightly, and it felt amazing. I wish I could pause time and sit like this forever with her.

However, the sound of my phone ringing brought me back to reality, and I groaned as I reached into my pocket to retrieve it.

"Sorry," I mumbled to Bella as I fished it out and looked at the caller I.D.

Mom? Why would she be calling at 11:30 at night? I found myself growing worried. Has something happened to Anthony?

"What's up, Mom?"

"Hey, dear. Anthony woke up from a nightmare and he can't go back to sleep unless he talks to you. Here he is."

"Daddy?" Anthony's quiet voice called into the phone.

"I'm here, bud. What's wrong?"

"I had a bad dream," he informed me.

"What happened in the dream?" I hated hearing to the stressed tone in his voice.

"I was in the ocean swimming around with Ben and then a gigantic wave came and got me. It was just like what happened at the beach, Daddy," his sniffles that broke out towards the end of the sentence broke my heart.

"I'm sorry, pal. I know you're still upset about what happened, but I promise that I will never let that happen to you again, okay? Daddy won't let you get hurt like that again."

"Promise?"

"Of course, Anthony. Now why don't you go back to bed?" I suggested.

"Okay, love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, son." I hung up the phone and turned to Bella, who had a sad smile planted on her face.

"What's the matter, Bella?" I asked as I pulled her into my arms once again.

"I really wish it didn't haunt him so much," she murmured as she buried her head onto my chest.

"He's young and scared. But he'll be fine soon, don't worry about him, he's tough. I raised him to be a man!" I exclaimed and puffed out my chest, causing Bella to giggle. I smiled and snuggled deeper into the couch.

We sat silently for a few moments. Nothing needed to be said. The feeling of holding Bella in my arms was enough, I didn't need anything else.

But suddenly, she asked the one question that I dreaded having to answer, but I knew I could trust her. "Was it hard, doing this all on your own?" I knew exactly what she was talking about.

I took in a deep breath to prepare myself. "It was tremendously hard at first. I didn't know how to raise a child on my own. I did everything I could, tried every method I could think of. But Anthony finally was happy with just me, and I learned how to do everything on my own. It took a while, but we learned that just the 2 of us wasn't such a bad thought."

"Where is his mother?" Bella blurted it out as if she couldn't stop herself from asking. Once she realized what she had just thrown at me, she began to apologize.

"Oh, God, I'm so sorry, Edward. You don't have to answer that."

I chuckled and tightened my hold on her, assuring her that it was okay. "It's fine, I don't mind sharing."

She looked up at me, waiting for me to tell her.

"I was a freshman in college, and I lived in a co-ed dorm room. Across the hall were 2 girls named Tanya and Irina. My roommate, Tyler, thought Irina was attractive and he always wanted to hang out with them. So, we would go on double dates, but it turned into something more. Tanya and I got along great and I really enjoyed her company. We ended up dating all throughout college. She liked to party, but I didn't mind, I thought her wild side was attractive. Sure, we broke up every now and then but we always got back together within a few days. At the end of our senior year, we had gotten engaged and I had gotten her pregnant the night I had proposed to her.

"I thought it was all rather romantic. However, she wasn't too thrilled about having a baby already, but I assured her it would all be okay. We decided to just focus on the baby and get married when we were settled. Summer came around and my Uncle retired, giving me his construction company. Tanya and I bought an apartment and we were doing fine. However, once Anthony came, that all changed." I scowled at the distant memory.

"What happened?" Bella inquired in a small voice.

"She wanted to party all the time. She didn't work, but I made more than enough money for us. She always said she was too young to have to care for a child. She would go out a good 4 times a week and leave me to care for our newborn child. I figured it was just a phase and maybe she was nervous about having a baby and needed time to figure out how to care for it and whatnot. But it wasn't a phase. One day, I went into her makeup bag to look for chap stick and I found a bag of marijuana. A few months later, I found needles for heroin in her underwear drawer when I was doing laundry. That was when I had enough. I couldn't let my baby live in this type of atmosphere. So when Anthony was a year and 6 months old, I kicked her out. She didn't mind leaving. I'll never forget the day she left."

"What happened?" Bella asked again, her eyes wide with anticipation.

"She threw the engagement ring at me and said 'I never wanted this. I never wanted a child. This was all a giant waste of time.' I've never heard from her since."

By now, tears were beginning to pool in Bella's beautiful eyes. She wrapped her tiny arms around me and hiccuped "I'm sorry, Edward. Nobody deserves to go through that. I feel so terrible for you and Anthony. How did he cope without a mother?"

"He was too young to really notice a difference. He was learning to talk when she left, and he had already figured out the word 'mommy.' Every now and then, he would utter that word and get a confused or upset look on his face, and it broke me to pieces. But, he grew up and forgot about her like it was easy. If he had been any older, he would most likely be scarred," the words haunted me.

"And you? Are you okay?"

"I wasn't at first. I spent every night of my life praying for everything to be okay. For strength and knowledge on how to raise Anthony completely on my own. I prayed that he would never ask where his mother was when he got older, but that ship had sailed. When he was 4, he had started preschool. I had picked him up on the first day and he noticed a lot of the other kids getting picked up by both their parents. He asked me in the car why he didn't have a Mommy and a Daddy like some of the other kids. I remember how much it hurt when he had asked that, but I told him that some kids don't have both a Mommy and a Daddy. He didn't seem to understand, but he never brought that up since then."

Bella nodded in understanding, then asked me one of the most complicated questions I have ever heard. "Were you in love with Tanya?"

I sighed under my breath. "I thought I was during college. We always had so much fun, but that was because we were carefree and didn't have any responsibilities to handle together. Once we did, I saw who she really was. I thought the party stage was a college phase, but those are her true colors. I was so happy to find out about the pregnancy. I mean, sure, it was right out of college and we were so young, but it seemed so right. But she was miserable about it, and that was what made me realize I didn't love her. She didn't want my child and she didn't want me."

Bella shook her head and mumbled under her breath "who wouldn't want you?"

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously.

The look on her face told me that her comment wasn't meant for me to hear. However, she simply shrugged and said "you're an amazing person."

I smiled at her compliment and placed my lips close to her ear, whispering "how is that?"

She shivered as my breath tickled down her neck. "You're a great father. A great friend. Smart. Successful. Responsible. Caring. Sweet. Warm."

But her last word was what caught me off guard. "Sexy."

That was all it took to pull her into my arms and kiss her with as much passion as I could muster. She threw her arms around me and deepened the kiss, licking my bottom lip and seeking my tongue with hers when I opened my mouth. I moaned at the sensation when my tongue battled hers for dominance. A low groan escaped Bella's lip, and I could feel my cock harden. When I needed air, I pulled away and placed hot, wet kisses up and down her neck as I listened to her breath quicken.

"Edward," she whispered huskily. Her eyes and voice held lust. I needed to have her. All of her.

I scooped her up effortlessly into my arms and carried her upstairs to my bedroom, kissing her passionately as I made my way.

I laid her gently on my bed and crawled on top of her, kissing her while she fumbled with the buttons on my shirt. I took it off along with the tank I had on underneath. I then pulled Bella up so she was sitting upright and I proceeded to unzip her dress. As it fell to her knees and she took it off, she looked at me shyly as I took in her black lace bra and matching panties. My cock twitched in anticipation. She looked gorgeous, there was not a flaw to her. I couldn't believe this amazing woman was here in my bed.

"You're so beautiful," I breathed and pulled her into my arms. I kissed her lips first, then planted kisses all the way from her neck down to her belly button, and back up again. She moaned the entire time. Her skin was amazingly soft and warm beneath my gentle touch.

"You have too many clothes on," she scolded playfully and reached her fingers to my belt, brushing against my cock in the process. I let out a low moan.

Once my pants and boxers were off, I growled at her and took off her bra and panties.

I laid on top of her and looked into her eyes in seriousness.

"Are you sure about this?"

She nodded and smiled shyly. "I want you, Edward."

"I want you, too, Bella," I groaned and reached over to the top of the dresser, grabbing a condom. She slipped it on for me, and I couldn't ignore the way her hands felt rubbing against my hard cock. She stroked it perfectly.

"Jesus, Bella," I hissed, causing her to giggle.

I then took her nipple into my mouth, pinching the other one in between my fingertips. Her skin was so soft under my touch. Her breast fit into my hand perfectly.

"Oh, Edward," she breathed. My name sounded beautiful when it rolled off her tongue. I smiled against her breast in greed. She was moaning _my_ name.

I then began kissing her again as I positioned myself at her entrance. With a gentle kiss to the tip of her nose, I slowly entered her.

"Oh God!" She gasped.

She whimpered in pain at first, and I knew this was probably her first time in a while. Once I started moving quicker, keeping a steady pace, her whimpers turned to hisses of pleasure.

"Edward...Ah! Oh, God, Ah!"

I smiled against her neck and kissed it before moving faster, breathing heavily as my body was sent to ecstasy. She felt amazing. I needed more, my body craved more of her. I plunged deeper inside her and quickened my pace, groaning at how amazing the sensation of her all around me felt.

"Yes, Edward, just like that. Ah!" Her moans sent me to cloud 9. I took her nipple into my mouth and sucked as her sounds of pleasure grew louder. She was perfect. Everything about her was perfect. Everything about this moment was perfect. I never wanted to let go.

I could feel my orgasm approaching, but I didn't want to cum before her. "I'm gonna cum, baby," I growled against her sweaty neck.

"Edward, ah!" She screeched and clawed her nails into my back as I could feel her walls clamp down around me. She began screaming my name and she came, me following soon after. I yelled her name over and over again as I busted inside of her.

I fell on top of her and we both laid there, panting, me still inside of her. I smiled and leaned up, kissing her chin.

"Bella..." I was at a loss of words.

"You don't need to say anything, Edward," she giggled and brushed the hair away from my sweaty forehead. I kissed her hand as it brushed past my lips.

After taking the condom off and throwing it away, I laid down beside her and she cuddled into me, wrapping her arm around my waist and burying her head onto my chest. As I pulled her into my arms, I could feel myself drifting into a peaceful sleep.

However, before I was officially unconscious, I said something to myself that has been itching to escape. I couldn't say it to her yet, so I said it to myself, knowing it was true.

_I love you, Bella._

* * *

The sweet smell of pancakes and bacon woke me up. I smiled and opened my eyes, looking around the unfamiliar room as I tried to figure out where I was.

Oh God.

I'm in Edwards bed. Naked. We had sex last night. I slept over.

I sighed as all these thoughts began running around in my head. I can't believe I had sex with Edward last night. Not that I'm complaining, it was great. It was perfect. It was also the first time I had gotten laid in 6 or 7 years. Sad, isn't it?

I sat up against the headboard and groaned at the soreness in between my legs.

Edward then came into the room wearing nothing but a pair of basketball shorts. I blushed as I stared at the muscles contracting in his arms as he juggled a large tray filled with food.

"Breakfast in bed for a Miss Bella Swan?" He placed the tray in my lap and flashed me his infamous crooked smile.

I had to stop myself from drooling at the breakfast. Pancakes, bacon, toast, orange slices, and a cup of coffee. I licked my lips and dug in hungrily as Edward crawled into bed next to me.

"How is it?"

"So good," I said in between mouthfuls, then swallowed before I said "thank you so much, this is very sweet of you."

He smiled and kissed my shoulder tenderly, sending shutters to ripple down my spine. "Anything for my favorite girl."

I smiled at his compliment that made my heart flutter. He never failed to make me feel like a million bucks.

"So what are the plans for today? When are the boys coming home?"

"Well, it's 9:30 now. My Mom is taking them to see a movie at 11 and then she's taking them to lunch afterward. She'll drop them off here around 2:30 or 3," he explained.

"Sounds good, so what do you want to do until then?" I asked.

"It's rather hot out. Would you like to swim?" He inquired.

I nodded and wrinkled my nose at my smell. I haven't showered since yesterday afternoon. "Can I go home and shower first? I'll get my swimsuit and get changed and come back when I'm done."

"Of course," he mumbled tiredly. He then rested his head on my shoulder. By the time I was finished with breakfast, he had dozed off on me. I smiled as I watched his chest rise and fall with each steady breath he took. He looked perfect. So at peace and content. I never wanted him to move.

But I smelled like sweat and I needed a shower. Without disturbing him, I slowly got out of bed, bringing the tray with me. Edward groaned but nestled himself deeper into the silk sheets. I giggled and kissed his cheek before I went back home.

* * *

Once I got home and got into the shower, I thought about my night with Edward.

Something about the way he held me, kissed me, made love to me, made me want to stay in his bed forever. He made sure to pay attention to every part of me. His gentle and loving touches made me feel loved. Utterly and passionately loved. Something I haven't felt in years. I wanted to give that back to him. I wanted to love him back.

Do I love him? I know I shouldn't. It's too soon. But the way he makes me feel is amazing. I never want it to go away. I never want him to go away.

As I finished getting ready to swim, I headed back over to Edward's and decided to just let myself in, knowing he wouldn't mind. I found him sitting on the couch in the living room, a big smile planted on his face as he talked excitedly on the phone.

He smiled widely when he saw me, and waved me over to sit next to him.

"I'm glad you had so much fun, Anthony. I wish I could have seen the fort you and Ben built," Edward laughed into the phone.

"Yeah, Bella's right here, would you like to talk to her?" He smiled at me and handed me his phone.

"Hello?" I called into the phone.

"Hi, Bella!" Anthony yelled the same time Ben called "Momma!" I must have been on speaker phone. I giggled at their enthusiasm to talk to me.

"Hey, guys! How was the sleepover?"

"Great, Mom! We built a fort and Grandpa Carlisle built us a campfire and we roasted marshmallows and made s'mores!" Ben sang.

"Sounds like you guys had a great time!" The smile on my face was put there without effort.

"We did, Bella! When we come home we'll tell you all about it," Anthony said.

"Okay, have fun at the movie, I'll see you guys later. Love you!"

"Love you!" They said simultaneously before hanging up the phone.

I giggled as I handed Edward's phone back to him. He wore a goofy grin on his face.

"What?" I asked.

"You're so good with them, it's amazing."

I shrugged nonchalantly. "They're great."

"I know. Now, why don't we swim?"

We made our way outside, where Edward scooped me up the second my clothes were off and threw me into the pool. I gasped when he followed in suit, jumping right next to me and causing a giant splash.

We swam around all day, resting aimlessly on the stairs in the shallow end or making our way to the hot tub. Either way, the day was amazing. We did nothing but talk about anything we could think of. I haven't been so happy or carefree in such a long while. Edward brought out the best in me.

However, around 1:00, my phone began to ring on the patio table. I shrugged out of the pool and skipped over to it.

My Dad was calling. I felt a grin grow on my face. "Dad!"

"Hey, Bells, how goes it?" He seemed excited to talk.

"Good, just swimming over at Edward's, you?" I asked as I sat down, propping my feet comfortably on the table. I watched Edward as I talk, his perfect body floating around in the water, catching the sun at a perfect angle that enhanced his tan. I'm pretty sure he's secretly a Greek God.

"I'm just hanging out. Guess who just stopped by?"

"Who?" I prodded.

"Mike! He wants to see Ben. He knows how long it's been since he's seen him and he feels bad for not being in his life for so long. He wants to see you, too. He just wants to smooth things over with Ben. So, I gave him your address and he's going to fly down on Wednesday. Isn't that great?"

I felt my blood run cold, my jaw dropping as low as it could. I really wish I could have told Charlie what Mike Newton had done to Ben and I. He has no idea, he believed some phony story I told him about breaking up with Mike when I had gotten pregnant with Ben. He thinks this is okay. He thinks it's fine that Mike is trying to contact me.

Well, with tears running down my face, I had to figure out what to do and where to go. Because within the next 4 days, Ben's father will be here.

And it will not be pretty.

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I'm sorry about the cliffy! I'll try to update soon. Reviews?


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